Hon Chairperson; hon Minister Dina Pule; hon Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams; hon members; distinguished guests and the public at large, my speech will be based on digital migration, broadband roll-out and the importance of discussing cyber crime. Let me join my colleagues in paying tribute to our son Vuyo Mbuli in his passing away on Sunday. Akuhlanga lungehlanga. [Condolences to his family.]
I also want to say I am so surprised by the pretence demonstrated here by hon Killian when she said that she is speaking on behalf of the people when she has never even gone on oversight visits with this committee. [Applause.]
The importance of this Budget Vote must be analysed and debated in the context of the fundamental and deep-seated advances made by the ANC government in transforming the South African IT landscape. Any other analysis or politically expedient positioning in the short term will not serve the purpose of what the Extended Public Committee debates are called upon to do. It has made great strides to communicate with citizens in a transparent and accountable manner through a whole range of mechanisms, including quarterly and annual reports, parliamentary programmes, regular Cabinet briefings, online publications, etc. Its ability to communicate with citizens is critical in the delivery of services as it deepens democracy and allows citizens to interact with government. The ANC identified the need for a coherent framework and an institutional arrangement that enhances collaboration, effective planning and oversight within government communication.
The need to strengthen other effective communication methods to reach targeted communities like community broadcasting and public broadcasting services to highlight government service delivery in the battle of ideas is critical. Weaknesses in the area of government communications are one of the factors behind the ideological onslaught, misinformation and the general lack of awareness on the progress achieved since the advent of democracy.
The media continues to have the tendency to publish mainly negative news on the ANC government, disregarding the good service delivery record of government. The media continues to distort and ignore information provided by the ANC government in a transparent and accountable manner. The phase of globalisation, especially over the past three decades, has been driven by economics and ICT. It has at the same time sharpened inequalities between and within communities. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, South Africa has made significant strides to facilitate the transformation of the ICT industry. However, in recent years we have lagged behind in a number of key global ICT indicators, especially on universal access to the Internet, broadcasting and e-governance.
Although the ANC government has made advancements through codes and the reform of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, PPPFA, and the black economic empowerment, BEE, policy, the transformation of the ICT sector remains weak due to some contradictions in underlying statutes. Despite the consistent growth of the ICT market, patterns of ownership and participation by black-owned and emerging companies is minimal and requires support from the government to speed up the pace of transformation.
There should be local manufacturing of ICT products for domestic consumption and exports, and government ICT procurement should benefit South African companies, including small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs. ICT is a critical enabler of economic activity in an increasingly networked world. It is critical for South Africa to remain globally competitive. The sector needs long-term policy certainty to be in a position to take the country into the next trajectory. This applies to entities in which the state owns shares, such as Telkom. As we argued in the policy discussion document on state-owned entities, SOEs, to the 53rd national conference, we need to ensure that we derive maximum value from the competencies that lie within these entities.
The third National General Council of the ANC in September 2010 pronounced that e-skills should become a compulsory subject in all public schools to promote an e-literate society. It recommended that the curriculum should focus on end-user computing as well as encouraging young people to pursue careers in the ICT sector. We can proudly say that good progress on this has been made with the assistance of the department, targeting identified schools in need both with infrastructure and equipment.
The Mangaung conference of the ANC in 2012 resolved that further education and training, FET, colleges should be used as schools of excellence to create opportunities for out-of-school and unemployed youth. A dedicated funding plan is needed to ensure that rural universities and FET colleges can contribute to the new e-skills revolution. The National Skills Fund must prioritise ICT skills development. Media and ICT studies should also be made available in all provinces using existing tertiary institutions and further education and training institutions.
Hon Chairperson, regarding digital migration, the international policy discourse plays an important role in shaping how we interact with a converged global environment while maintaining the sovereignty of our country. We acknowledge that the international affairs branch of the department has positioned the country in the ICT space. Contributing to global technological advancement is important for the ANC and South Africa. Hence we take on certain commitments with the rest of the world to ensure that the country and its citizens stay relevant.
The digital migration process is influenced by a global agenda, specifically the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, to which South Africa is a signatory. As a member of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, the ANC government was a signatory to a roadmap for a regional digital switchover. The reason for such an approach is mainly to provide a framework for the political support and industry co- operation as the basis for policy harmonisation and technical standards. The migration is necessitated by, among others things, the need to strategically embrace technological developments, efficient utilisation of national resources such as energy and spectrum, and empowering governments to interactively engage with citizens.
More importantly, digital migration will widen the number of radio and television broadcasting programmes offered to citizens. It will further improve quality, accessibility and localised services delivered to citizens. To the ANC government the important matter is to ensure that the policy and regulatory environments are well positioned to deal with this necessary migration in a manner that positively responds to local challenges and regional commitments. The production of innovative solutions to produce local content should be underpinned by the need to protect, promote and preserve our cultural diversity, heritage and indigenous knowledge; and the role of the public broadcaster will become even more important in this respect. Despite the recent delays in the implementation of this programme, the ANC believes that the timelines are still achievable. As members of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, we are committed to ensuring that the department responds timeously to Parliament on all developments in the digital terrestrial television, DTT, programme.
The regulator of the sector requires strengthening in order to guarantee benefits to the citizens. The NDP identifies the regulator as a key organ geared for reform in order to ensure it adapts to change, and the PCC will provide the necessary support so the regulator achieves its mandate. The NDP further sees the creative sector as a key to both growth and job creation and critical for facilitating dialogue and nation-building. Benefits of digital migration mean more frequency spectrum will be free, resulting in the licensing of further communications services such as mobile television, high definition TV, public emergency services and additional standard definition TV.
Regarding broadband, Chairperson, Internet access has evolved from just being an accessory to being a necessity driven by the knowledge economy ideology. The use of the Internet is critical to resolving some of the key challenges faced by the ruling party, such as the education system, distance education, health backlogs, telemedicine, egovernment challenges, service delivery, e-commerce and poverty alleviation, and improving the quality of life. Information demand necessitates a robust network infrastructure to be able to handle the demand. This lies in the intricate manner in which ICTs are harnessed in order to yield positive results, and the National Development Plan, NDP, is explicit on this matter.
Educational material can be delivered electronically to remote villagers. However, successful ICT-based health and educational programmes of the ANC- led government will demand ... The ANC supports Budget Vote No 27. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon members of the House, members of the Cabinet present here, chairperson and members of the portfolio committee, Minister of Communications, my sister hon Dina Pule, distinguished guests from the Information and Communications Technology sector, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
Timeless wisdom tells us that the past explains the present and the present determines the future. The essence of this colourful day therefore lies in the story of our past, and it was shaped by our past. The total disregard of democratic values, as well as the suppression of popular participation of the black majority in areas of ICT, is the basis of our meeting today as we try to correct the past divide and find amicable solutions which will lead us to achieve our vision of ensuring broadband access for all.
We have invited industry players and all ICT patriots to descend on the Cape of Good Hope today, not to revel in just another annual pastime, but to remind them that we don't take our freedom and democracy for granted. On the contrary, we demand of them to work with government as we foster this paradigm shift and make our country a friendlier nation to ICT. [Applause.]
Twenty years ago, the journey of empowering our communities through ICT started. Although this journey may predate 1993, it was only 20 years ago that a firm road map was agreed upon and committed to by all South Africans in a participatory and transparent manner. This commitment was premised on a firm understanding that the hard-won freedom of all South Africans cannot be realised without the right to information, which is a basic human right.
As we have noted in the past 20 years, this fundamental human right cannot be fully exercised without ICTs that are secure, robust, reliable and universally accessible. The ICTs are the medium through which information travels. In our submission to a 20-year review undertaken by government through the Presidency earlier this year, we have chronicled how we, as the Department of Communications, have contributed to this journey.
I now stand before you this morning to give a clear synopsis, in addition to the Minister's input, wherein I will not only share with you our progress in respect of the commitments we made before this esteemed House during the previous financial year, but also our plans for this financial year. I want to draw your attention and highlight our contribution to the 20-year journey in the following: empowering communities through community radio, supporting learning through school connectivity, ensuring information security by vigorously combating the high, spiralling scourge of cyber crime, continually reskilling our youth for the knowledge economy and addressing the challenges for people with disabilities through ICT.
As Minister Pule has mentioned in her speech, the year 2013 is important for it marks 20 years since the first independent regulator, the then Independent Broadcasting Authority, IBA, and current Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Icasa, was established to regulate broadcasting in the public interest in line with the Constitution. The first community radio station was licensed here in South Africa.
The licensing of community radio in South Africa has been a long struggle waged in collaboration with the international world. Today there are over 133 community radio stations licensed in South Africa and over 75% of them have received support from the Department of Communications. We commend other departments and state-owned entities, SOEs, across the three spheres of government that continue to offer various kinds of support to the sector. This is a sector that is synonymous with our selfless struggle for democracy that people like Chris Hani sacrificed their lives for and it, therefore, needs to be supported.
Notwithstanding the perennial challenges that continue to bedevil the sector, such as governance, this sector won a major achievement worth celebrating as a country for it has provided access to the means of communication by communities, particularly those in rural and remote areas, in their individual languages. As we celebrate these achievements, the critical question is: How do we sustain the sector for more years to come?
As a department, we have already committed ourselves to building a thriving community broadcasting sector, of which radio is but one part, as evidenced by the following: We have invested over R400 million in the sector since 1998 and implemented the new signal distribution subsidy scheme, through the public signal distributor, Sentech, which took effect on 1 September 2012. This new subsidy will see signal distribution costs for community radio located in rural and nodal areas being covered in full by the department for the next four years. Costs relating to urban-based stations will only be covered up to 70%. Over R6 million has been set aside for this scheme over the next four years.
During 2012 we further ring-fenced 40 rural-based stations for guided capacity-building programmes in content production through the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, Nemisa, to improve their programme offering. We hope that the dramas and documentaries, to be produced through this special programme, will be broadcast across all the community stations by October this year.
To empower communities, one must say that we are making sure that rural communities are not marginalised. Together with our entities and some private companies we have established ICT centres throughout the country, including in some traditional authorities. My esteemed guests - one of them could not make it here because he is sick - the king of the amaXhosa, King Zwelonke Sigcawu - and the Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Maubane, bear testimony to this. [Applause.] This programme will over time be rolled out to other traditional authorities throughout the country.
Working together with the Department of Correctional Services and Microsoft on the youth e-literacy programme, we have supported over 100 beneficiaries that obtained International Computer Driving Licence, ICDL, certificates in correctional service centres in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.[Applause.]
For this financial year, our major focus will be on the following: the roll-out of broadcasting equipment to 15 stations that are new, those requiring upgrade and those with single studios; and the finalisation of the new community broadcasting support policy that will not only outline how community broadcasting will be supported, but how to extend such support to community television.
Linked to this policy, we will further finalise a model for implementing community TV in South Africa. This model is important in consideration of the capital intensive nature of community TV. We therefore have to implement it in a way that is financially prudent and offer huge economic benefit to the country in terms of job creation and local content development. We see community TV as a major strategic window to showcase and promote provincial development.
In consideration of the upcoming national elections in 2014, we will partner with the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, to train community radio stations on how to cover national elections. This will be a sequel to the successful training programming that we undertook in preparation for the 2011 local government elections. The strength of community radio in national election coverage lies in its accessibility and ability to speak the language of the communities.
Regarding the issue of supporting learning through school connectivity, ICT, particularly new technologies, is a critical vehicle to facilitate learning at our schools. It is on this basis that, during the previous financial year, we engaged aggressively in rolling out broadband to connecting schools and community centres in partnership with the Department of Basic Education.
During the past financial year, we committed to connecting 1 650 schools to the Internet as part of the 2010 Fifa World Cup legacy project. I am pleased to inform this House that to date 854 schools have been connected. [Applause.] This number excludes those commendable initiatives by the private sector as part of their licence conditions and their community social investment programmes.
We will be connecting 2 000 schools this year and further engagements are taking place with various operators to increase this number. We are going to establish a forum comprising the Department of Communications, the Department of Basic Education, Icasa, other state-owned companies and the private sector to develop a school connectivity model and implementation framework. The impact of this approach will ensure that the school connectivity programme is co-ordinated seamlessly in the country, whilst optimally utilising resources. It is through this framework that we will be able to monitor and evaluate the impact of the school connectivity programme.
The next issue is ensuring information security and combating cyber crime. Cyber crime has become an inevitable reality that confronts all the online communities across the world. Identity theft, stalking, online child pornography and terrorism have become daily occurrences that threaten our communities' enjoyment of the benefits of new technologies.
As we expand access to the Internet, we also need a strong measure to ensure basic trust and security to the public as the users. This requires collaboration between departments, civil society and business to build institutional mechanisms to investigate cyber crimes and anticipate threats. Following the approval of the Cyber Security Policy in 2012, we will during this financial year prioritise the functionality of a cyber security hub to pool public and private sector threat information.
The cyber security hub will be responsible for processing and disseminating information to relevant stakeholders in the industry and civil society. All computer users have a role in securing cyber space and ensuring that the digital environment is secure and utilised reasonably to profit the socioeconomic wellbeing of the nation.
Our journey of building an information society cannot be complete without addressing the challenges facing people with disabilities. This is a commitment that runs across our policy formulation. Our country is already a signatory to numerous international agreements that mainstream access to technology for people with disabilities. Icasa is playing a crucial role in helping the country to fulfil this mandate. A code of practice for people with disabilities in line with section 70 of the amended Electronic Communications Act has been developed.
The e-Skills Institute, e-SI, continued on its progressive path to e- skilling South Africa for equitable prosperity and global competitiveness. The completion of the integration plan for the e-Skills Institute, the Institute for Satellite and Software Applications and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, Nemisa, was launched yesterday by the Minister.
The new institute is positioning South Africa well to harness existing resources and develop new approaches to the co-ordination of appropriate capacity development, using its multistakeholder platform to contribute to the massification of e-skills delivery at all levels. This year the institute increased its visibility at the provincial and national level and impacted more than 30 000 South Africans at various levels - decision- makers, consumers of technology, practitioners in the ICT and broadcasting sectors, as well as communities.
The ZA Domain Name Authority, Zadna, is celebrating 10 years since its establishment in 2003. A legal framework to support the establishment of the ZA Central Registry, ZACR, which is intended to uplift the operational standards in .za, is being finalised. The ZACR, through Zadna's guidance and the African Union Commission, has made significant progress in its application for a right to establish and operate a dot-Africa: Internet namespace for the benefit of Africa.
Zadna has also ensured that our cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg are not left behind in the Internet revolution that we will see in some of the leading world cities, such as London, Paris and Sydney, that have their own exclusive Internet spaces. As a result, ladies and gentlemen, expect to see in the near future new website addresses such as hotels.capetown, tourism.durban and business.johannesburg. [Applause.]
The successes we are presenting here this morning speak to the battles we have successfully won and the zeal displayed by both our officials and all role-players in the ICT space. Once again, we give this House and the country at large the assurance that we have what it takes to achieve universal access by ensuring that robust information and communications technologies are accessible, usable and affordable to all.
We will continue to make strategic interventions in providing the necessary support to this sector, working with our entities and the private sector. Despite the financial constraints which might have a direct bearing on the roll-out of universal service and access for all, we will not dare to renege on the commitment we have made to our people, because we come from a glorious tradition of struggle and self-reliance. No price can be too much for us to pay.
Hon Chairperson, allow me, with all humility, to thank my caring and supportive husband, Mr Abrahams, and our beautiful children for their continued support and understanding that, in more instances than not, they have to share me with the nation. To Minister Dina Pule, thank you for the team effort that you continue to demonstrate as we are taking the lead into the future ICT of South Africa.
Let me thank my Cabinet colleagues as well as my hardworking staff and the entire Department of Communications team for their commitment and dedication, particularly during this time as we conclude our five-year mandate of President Zuma's administration. A special thanks to the Portfolio Committee on Communications for their sound oversight over our work. We dare not fail our people.
Ke a leboga. [Legofi.] [I thank you. [Applause.]]
Hon chairperson, hon Minister Pule, hon Deputy Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams, fellow hon members, Department of Communications, family and its entities fellow South Africans and distinguished guests ...
... make ngisho ngokuzidlulela ukuthi okhokho bethu bebengavuka lapho belele khona uma sizovuma ukuthi siziphathe sengathi akwenzekanga lutho ngomhla ka-27 kuMbasa 1994. Savumelana ngokuthi sizokwenza izimpilo zabantu zibe ngcono, sizoqhubeka sikwenze lokho singabi namahloni. Ngeke sibenamahloni ngoba siyazi ukuthi indlela ngeke ibelula, kodwa asingabavumeli nakancane labo abangazi ukuthi bameleni la eNingizimu Afrika nakule Ndlu esikuyo. [Ihlombe.] Ngivumele ngisho ukuthi ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[... let me say in passing that our ancestors would rise from the dead if we behave as if nothing happened on 27 April 1994. We agreed to make people's lives better; we will continue doing that with no shame. We will not be ashamed because we know the journey is not going to be easy, but we must not let those who do not know what they stand for here in South Africa and in this House derail us. [Applause.] Allow me to say that ...]
... our theme for this year's budget is "Connecting South Africans", as the Minister has said.
Sengikushilo lokhu bengikusho ngizindlulela. Ingxoxo yami izogxila ekutheni senza kanjani ukuthi izinguquko [transformation] esizenza emiphakathini yethu ibambeke. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[I have said this and I was just saying it in passing. My discussion will focus on how we are going to attain transformation in our communities.]
The Budget Vote debate of the Department of Communications must be understood in a manner that sees communication as central to the battle of ideas, therefore the information and communications technology, ICT, sector must reflect the interests and aspirations of the majority who have placed their trust and hope in the ANC-led government. [Interjections.]
Hhayi, bayekeni labo ngoba abazi ukuthi bameleni la kufanele ngabe basezinkantolo. [Ihlombe.] [No, leave those people be, because they don't know what they stand for here - they must be in court. [Applause.]]
For far too long it has been an open market for all interested parties who in theory ... laba abangasesandleni sami sokunxele [those on my left] ... agree with transformation of the sector, but in practice they reflect a very different posture. My input to this debate seeks to place the transformation of the ICT sector as central and material to the socioeconomic advancement of our society.
While embracing globalisation intensification by ICT, it has also sharpened inequalities between and within communities, in particular for rural and poor communities as well as workers in general. Despite the constant growth of the ICT market pattern, the ownership of the ICT sector and participation by black-owned and emerging companies is minimal and requires support from government. The only government that can provide support is the ANC government. [Applause.]
Speeding up the pace of transformation is exactly what we intend to do; it is actually exactly what we are doing, and we intend to ensure that no one distracts us. Hon Minister, stay as focused as you are. There should be local manufacturing of ICT products for domestic and export purposes. Government ICT procurement should benefit South African companies, including small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, without compromising quality and efficiency.
As one hon member has said, further education and training colleges should be used as schools of excellence to create opportunities for out-of-school and unemployed youth. Media and ICT studies should also be made available in all provinces. Government should introduce a comprehensive e-skilling development plan that would include incentives to mobile communications industry to co-operate for the benefit of young people investing in our future.
It is very important for us to say that whatever building blocks we are making today are not for us, but for our kids and the future generations. That is why we applaud, welcome, show appreciation for and will ensure that the emerging National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, Nemisa, walks the talk.
Ukuze ingane iqoqeke iphinde ibenehlonipho kuthiwa igotshwa isemanzi. [For a child to grow up well behaved and respectful, people usually say that he or she must be trained from an early age.]
Basic computer literacy should be introduced in all primary schools the focus on advanced e-skills, including software programming and end-user computing for tertiary institutions and FETs. I must also emphasise that it is critical for us to not only know how to use IT gadgets, but to also know who to install programmes, how to fix them and also how to manufacture them. That is critical; in fact, it is the real economic transformation we are speaking about.
In order to realise our goals we must ensure that we implement a comprehensive programme that focuses on the war on poverty, which addresses the challenges of poverty in the rural areas, in inequality and underdevelopment, and is based on advancing and defending human rights as articulated in Chapter 2 of our Constitution. Having considered the National Development Plan, NDP, we as the ANC have agreed that it forms an important basis for the development of a long-term plan to build a national democratic society that is nonracial, nonsexist, democratic, united, prosperous and seeks to advance the national democratic revolution. The ANC is convinced that fellow South Africans are going to give us another mandate to rule and lead this country over the next five years. [Applause.] The ANC will take decisive and resolute action to overcome the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment which are at the heart of South Africa's socioeconomic challenges. We intend to transform - and we continue to do so - the structure of the economy through industrialisation, broad-based black economic empowerment, addressing the basic needs of our people, including those of rural women in particular and the youth, and strengthening and expanding the role of the state and the role of state-owned enterprises.
Ngiyamangala uma ngabe bethi uhulumeni wethu kufanele unikeze abantu abazimele noma izinkampani ezizimele [privatisation] ukuthi zihole le lizwe. Ngeke sikuvumele lokho. Abantu abasithume lapha abashongo ukuthi sihambe siyoshaya imithetho bese sima eceleni komgwaqo sicele ama-lift. Akusoze kwalunga uma kuzoba kanjalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[I am very surprised that they are saying that our government must leave privatisation to private companies in order for them to lead this country. We are not going to let that happen. The people who deployed us here did not say that we must make the rules and then stand beside the road and ask for lifts. It is not going to work if it's going to be like that. [Applause.]]
We need a political and socioeconomic system which places the needs of the poor and social issues, such as health care, education, basic services and a social security floor, at the top of the national agenda, in which ICT has a major role, as hon Morutoa has alluded to earlier on. We need accelerated growth and development in a mixed economy, which includes state and private capital as well as co-operatives, a worker-based community and other forms of social ownership of the means of production - it is very critical that we control the means of production - an active developmental and leadership role of the state in the economy and the pursuit of full employment and decent work.
The interventions required to speed up change, especially with regard to economic and social transformation, can be understood as marking a second phase in the transition to a national democratic society. This second phase of the transition should be characterised by decisive action to effect thorough economic transformation and democratic consolidation.
The ongoing problem that faces the South African society is that the media and the information and communications technology reflect patterns of ownership, control and distribution of the past. That is the reality which the hon Minister is trying to deal with and you call it interference. I wonder what interference is. This is the objective reality that faces the ICT sector today and what needs to be confronted head-on. There has been a focus on redressing and correcting past discriminatory practices in terms of race, class and gender as well as providing a firm foundation in policy for a communications sector that embraces all South Africans and treats them equitably. I am sure that our media partners will endeavour to do that without being biased to anyone.
The National Development Plan in respect of ICT should be underpinned by a policy focus and desire to ensure universal access to affordable and quality high-speed infrastructure and services throughout the country. There is therefore the need to provide a detailed ... [Interjections.]
... lalela lungu elihloniphekile. [... listen, hon member.]
There is therefore the need to provide a detailed sectoral plan to strengthen the implementation of the National Development Plan which is embraced by all of us in this House. The creation of a coherent and co- ordinated national policy framework and strategy on ICT should include promoting the provision of universal access - which was alluded to - quality and affordable networks and services to ensure that government, communities and business and all our people become part of the information super-highway and the knowledge economy.
Further, it must outline the different roles of the state and the private and community sectors in achieving this goal and aligning the uptake of the development and usage of indigenous knowledge systems and the revival of the local content industry, which the SABC is part of and endeavours to do in their daily programming. The transformation of the ICT sector needs institutional practical measures to drive transformation with milestones and measurable outcomes. As part of the national ICT policy vision, the ANC- led government should target completing the ICT sector transformation process by 2030. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]
Modulasetilo le Maloko a a tlotlegang a Palamente, motswana wa lekgorokgoro o kile a bua a re sa ntlha ke sa ntlha, sa bobedi ke dithuthuntshwane. Ka go rialo Modulasetilo, ke rata go simolola kwa tshimologong ka gore mokgatlho wa ANC o ikamanya e bile o dumalana le ya Tekanyetsokabo ya lefapha jaaka e abilwe ke Tona Dina Pule, gompieno. Jaaka ke rile, sa pele ke sa pele ... (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Ms S R TSEBE: Chairperson and hon members of Parliament, an old traditional Motswana once said that whatever you said first stands. Still on that note, Chairperson, I would like to start by saying that the ANC supports and agrees with the Budget Vote of the department as provided today by Minister Dina Pule. As I've said, what one said first ...]
... I would like to deal with issues raised by some of my colleagues on my left Hon Kilian, it is an insult for you as a woman to display "pull-her- down syndrome". The hon Minister is a woman, like you.
Ka Setswana re a re, mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng. Fa ngwana a rotela dikobo, ga o palame kwa godimo ga ntlo o be o goeletsa, o re o batla thuso. [In Setswana we say, a woman always protects her child. If a child is still wetting the bed, you do not climb on top of the roof and scream for help.]
You must help her to improve where you see there is a need for improvement. Hon Shinn, I am disappointed in you, umshini wami [my machine gun], about all the questions that you have raised today, because they were responded to in the same boardroom by the Department of Communications. You raised all those questions and they were responded to in detail. You are repeating those questions simply because elections will be held next year and you just want to score cheap political points. People will vote for the ANC come 2014. [Applause.]
Motlotlegi Modulasetilo, go ne go le botlhokwa gore ke fete ka bagwebi pele ke tsena mo dikgannyeng. Phitlhelelo ya tsa tshedimosetso, kgolagano le setegeniki e tswelela go nna setlapele mo Aforika Borwa, morago ga kgorogo ya temokerasi. Go fitlhelela go nna teng le go neelana ka ditirelo tse di tlhotlhwa tlase tsa information and communications technology, ICT, ke selo se se tsweletseng go nna selo sa ntlha mo pusong, e bile ke mokgwa o ka ona re ka tokafatsang le go tlhabolola naga ya rona. Se, se godisa le go tsweletsa ekonomi le go kitlanya set?haba. Le fa gontse jalo, phitlhelelo ya ditirelo tsa ICT go botlhe e tswelela go nna kgwetlho go bontsi jwa Maaforikaborwa, bogolosegolo, basadi le bahumanegi ba ba nnang kwa metsemagaeng.
Maloko a a tlotlegang, go neelana ka ditirelo tsa ICT go botlhe go laolwa ke molao go netefatsa phitlhelelo e e feletseng ya thekenoloji ya se?weng; go ntshetsa pele kgolo ya ikonomi; go tlisa bokhutlong go sa lekalekaneng gareng ga batho ba ba kwa magaeng le kwa metsesetoropong; le go tlisa kwa bokhutlong go sa lekalekaneng ka mmala. Ka jalo, go botlhokwa gore maloko a a ka fa molemeng ba lemoge gore - ga ke itse gore a ba nkutlwa - maitemogelo a Maaforikaborwa ga a tlholwe ke dingwaga tsa taolo ya neeletsanokgakala, mme bogolo e tlholwa ke taolo ya ga jaana e e tlisiwang ke puso e e eteletsweng pele ke ANC, morago ga tshenyo e e tlhodilweng ke dipholisi kgetololo tsa mebuso e e fetileng ya tlhaolele, borre De Klerk le ba bangwe - boBrutus. (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, it was important to take a break before I delivered my speech. After the advent of democracy, access to information, communication and technology continues to be at the forefront in South Africa. Achieving and providing low-cost information and communications technology, ICT, is a first for government, and it is a way in which we can better and develop our country. This grows and improves the economy and brings the nation together. Nevertheless, access to ICT for all continues to be a challenge to most South Africans, especially women and the poor in the rural areas.
Hon members, providing ICT services to all is determined by law to ensure complete access to the latest technology, to advance economic growth, to end the disparity between urban and rural dwellers, and to end racial discrimination. Therefore, it is important for members on the left to realise that; I am not sure if they understand me. South Africans' experiences are no longer established by the years of apartheid ruling, but by the present ruling of the ANC-led government after the disaster caused by the discrimination policies established during apartheid, the De Klerks and others - the Brutus.]
It is therefore crucial, hon members, to note that the philosophy that informed apartheid and the ideology behind the promotion of universal service and access are mutually exclusive. Quoting from Maitland's theory:
Within South Africa, the missing link exists not only along national lines, but also along race and class lines.
In 1994 the new ANC-led government inherited the highest average teledensity among low- to middle-income people, and a racially skewed teledensity: 89% of white households; 77% of Asian households; 43% of coloured households; and only 11% of black households, hon Shinn.
Privileged white areas in urban centres were better serviced by fixed telephone exchanges, whereas the rural needy were deprived the sophisticated infrastructure. South Africans must not be fooled and forget where we come from.
Modulasetilo, ke rata go akgola puso e e eteletsweng pele ke ANC, gonne go simolola ka ngwaga wa 1994 re busa, seemo sa thebolelo ya tsa tlhaeletsano se fetogile e le ruri, ebile re dumela gore go le gontsi go sa ntse go tla dirwa. Tona Pule, ke ikgantsha thata ka motsana wa Mantserre kwa Masepaleng wa Selegae wa Moses Kotane, moo re boneng puso mmogo le mmaene wa Anglo American ba kopanya ditlhogo go agela baagi poso ya maemo a a kwa godimo e e neng ya bulwa semmuso ke Rre Padayachie - a mowa wa gagwe o robale ka kagiso. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, I would like to congratulate the ANC-led government. Since it has been in power from 1994, the status of delivering communications infrastructure has really changed, but we agree that more still needs to be done. Minister Pule, we are very proud of Mantserre village in the rural municipality of Moses Kotane, where government and the Anglo American mine worked together to build a state-of-the-art post office for the community, which was officially opened by Mr Padayachie - may his soul rest in peace.]
For the first time in their lives, this community had access to a post office in 2010. It will also cater for nearby villages.
Re ne ra bona gape Universal Service and Access Agency of SA, Usaasa, e abela baagi ba metsemagae, mo diporofenseng tse di farologaneng jaaka Free State le Eastern Cape, dikhomputa le laeborari ya inthanete mo dikolong di feta some le boraro.
Kwa Ramokokastad, re bone Motlatsatona, Mme Abrahams, mmogo le Sentech ba abela sekolo se segolo sa Kwenatlase dikhomputa di le 20 le kgokaganyo ya inthanete. Re ne ra bona gape baagi ba kwa Dry Harts, kwa Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, ba itumelela puso fa Sentech e thankgolola transmitara ya maatla a a kwa tlase, eo ka yona baagi ba tla nnang le t?hono ya go bona thelebi?hene e e senang dinaledi, le go utlwelela seyalemowa se se sa gweretlheng. Go feta foo - di dintsi - Usaasa e abetse baagi ba kwa Muzekhaya Community Development Centre kwa Siyabuswa, ka go ba abela dikhomputara di le 22. Setei?ene sa baagi sa Moutse sona se neilwe dikhomputara di le 15, kgokaganyo ya inthanete le diphorintara tse di dirisetswang mabaka a a farologaneng. Modulasetilo, tsotlhe tse, ke diphitlhelelo. A re lebogeng puso ya ANC. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.)
[Again, we also witnessed the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA, Usaasa, handing over computers to rural communities in different provinces like the Free State and the Eastern Cape, and cyber labs to more than 30 schools.
In Ramokokastad we witnessed the Deputy Minister, Mrs Abrahams, together with Sentech, handing over 20 computers and Internet connection to Kwenatlase High School. We also witnessed how pleased the people of Dry Harts, in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, were with government when Sentech launched a low-power transmitter, which will give the community an opportunity to view clear television and listen to clear radio transmissions. Moreover Usaasa handed 22 computers to Muzekhaya Community Development Centre in Siyabuswa. Moutse community radio station received 15 computers, Internet connection and multipurpose printers. Chairpersons, all of these are achievements. Let us thank the ANC government. [Applause.]]
This is universal service access in totality.
Ke fela gore nnete e a baba kwa malokong a a tlotlegang a a ka fa molemeng wa me. Mme, ke ne ke re a re ikgomotseng ka mafoko a moswi Rre Chinua Achebe - le ena a mowa wa gagwe o robale ka kagiso - fa a ne a re, ke a nopola ... "If you don't like someone's story, write your own." (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[It is just that to the hon members on my left, the truth hurts. Nevertheless, I was just saying, let us comfort ourselves with the words of Mr Chinua Achebe - may his soul also rest in peace.]
So, this is my story. If you don't like it, write your own. I will never allow South Africans to be misled. I'm here with a mandate to inform them, and that is what I am doing now. [Applause.] [Interjections.] You can howl and do everything, but I'm focused. Hon Chairperson, community radio stations were established to ensure that the rural poor ... [Interjections.]
Hon Tsebe, will you please wait for just a minute. Hon member over there, please, if you want to say something, lower you voice, because you are disturbing everybody. Thank you.
Hon Chairperson, community radio stations were established to ensure that the rural poor that were neglected by the apartheid government are able to understand and participate in government processes in their own languages. Community radio broadcasting gives ownership of the media to ordinary South Africans. It is about the empowerment of marginalised communities and was a deliberate action by the ANC government to ensure universal access.
It is through this sector that media skills have been developed in some of the most rural areas. The ANC continues to support this platform as digital terrestrial television, DTT, yields digital dividends. We will do everything in our power to ensure that this sector does not die, but is further strengthened to bring democracy close to the people.
Hon members, over 100 community radio stations - ke rile di dintsi! [I told you they are many!] - broadcast in almost all official languages. One hundred and sixty-five nonprofit community and low-power service licensees have benefited from the ANC's decision to effect a three-tier broadcasting system. Over 8,3 million active listeners have been aggregated by the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, to form a strong business case for the community media segment.
Tona, Mme Pule, gore toro e e diragale le gore puso e kgone go neelana ka ditirelo tse di tlhotlwa tlase go botlhe, ke kopa o lebisise kabo ya Usaasa. Lekala le le tlhoka madi a a kana ka R1,6 milione go ba kgontsha go diragatsa maitlhomo a DTT. Fa ke gopola sentle, le SA Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, e tlhoka tshegetso ya matlole. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Minister Pule, for this dream to come true and for government to be able to provide low-cost services to all, I am asking you to revisit the Usaasa budget. This sector needs an amount of R1,6 million to enable them to fulfil the objectives of DTT. If I remember correctly, the SA Broadcasting Corporation also needs funds.]
During the ANC's January 8 Statement address the South African President, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, made a call:
Government should hasten the implementation of all 18 strategic infrastructure projects, especially those directed at the 23 poorest districts.
Se se raya gore seabe sa gago, Tona Mme Pule, mo boemong jwa lefapha, ke go bona gore Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Icasa, e goletsa dikausu: lefoko la kgosi le agelwa mosako. Fa kgosi e buile, sa rona balala ke go diragatsa. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[This means that your involvement, Minister Pule, on behalf of the department is to ensure that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa pulls up its socks. The chief's word is treasured. When the chief has spoken, all we peasants have to do is comply.]
I am saying this, hon Minister, due to Icasa's slow pace of regulating which is affecting other entities and the sector as a whole in providing universal service and access to our people.
Hon Minister, the costs to communicate, as has been highlighted by hon Muthambi, are very high in South Africa. Affordability, with regard to unemployment and the rural poor, is my main concern in this regard, and this was part of the discussions that took place in Mangaung. The ineffective regulation of contributor elements has resulted in very high prices and came on the back of highly exclusionist history of South Africa, where the majority and the poorest of the poor are marginalised and unable to become part of the knowledge economy.
Hon Chairperson, according to the Icasa indicators database of 2013, improvement in Internet penetration is minimal. In 2007 household Internet use stood at 4,8%. In 2012 it has risen to 19%.
Se se raya gore bontsi bo ka nna kana ka 81% jwa set?haba sa rona ga bo na inthanete. [This means that more than 81% of our population do not have access to the Internet.]
Hon Chairperson, Comrade Eric Kholwane, the message, therefore, to 8ta, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C in this regard is that there is money at the bottom of the pyramid - I know you are sitting somewhere there. Why are you not coming forward with ways and means to leverage this market to ensure access and service, Comrade Peter? Icasa, why are you not enforcing regulations to ensure that this market is catered for? Usaasa, why are you not developing an approach to assist Icasa? SABC, what is your role in generating awareness? Department of Communications, as the mother body ... Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members and distinguished guests, I have two speeches here. The one in my left hand is a copy of the speech I delivered during the budget debate last year, and the other is the speech I prepared for this debate. I was tempted, and I still am, to deliver the exact speech I did last year.
Because nothing has changed!
The reason for that, Chairperson, is that everything I said last year is still applicable right now - nothing has changed. No, correction, hon Minister, something has changed. Things have gotten worse.
In his 2013 state of the nation address, President Jacob Zuma pronounced that, to prepare for the advanced economy we needed to develop, we would expand the broadband network. According to the National Development Plan, broadband has a significant role to play across the African society. I cannot overemphasise this enough, and my speech today is focused on this. If I could have gotten a show of hands from the gallery about whether they would want to hear about all the negatives of last year, I would have asked them, but I know that they are not supposed to participate in a debate.
It is well documented that flourishing entrepreneurial cultures can play a leading role in creating jobs and oiling the wheels of the economy through the creation of continual economic and social innovations. Booming entrepreneurship in emerging markets such as Brazil, Turkey, China and Thailand has provided a key stimulus to the rapid increase in material living standards across these nations in recent decades. In comparison, South Africa has a low rate of entrepreneurial activity for an emerging economy.
Although much emphasis has been placed on the need to rectify issues, like the punitive regulatory burden and lack of financial capital, limited attention has been paid to the role technological inefficiencies play in stifling entrepreneurship. These inefficiencies are primarily the result of a monopolistic telecommunications sector which has been ineffectually regulated. Consequences of such systematic inefficiencies include exorbitant telecommunications costs, frustratingly slow download speeds and generalised poor service, which reduce the overall use of Internet services.
Data from Net Index, an independent Internet monitoring service, currently ranks South Africa 124th out of 182 countries for overall Internet download speeds, with a speed of 3,82 megabites per second. This compares unfavourably to other emerging markets such as Brazil with 7,20 megabites per second, Turkey with 7,9, China with 10,1 and Thailand's 11,59 megabits per second. Even countries with far lower rates of economic development experience greater download speeds, such as Rwanda with 5,2, and Ethiopia with 5,42 megabites per second. Additionally, data on the costs of Internet services is equally discouraging, with South Africa failing fundamentally in the provision of globally competitive prices.
These increased prices and slower download speeds, caused by a lack of competition, elevate costs for businesses, which subsequently reduce their overall profitability, small businesses being particularly vulnerable to such costs. In an increasingly technologically dependent world, the ability to effectively conduct business and communicate online is an imperative for the success and growth of many businesses. This is truer still for small businesses - try to operate a small business, and you will find out. This facilitates a substantial balancing of the corporate playing field, allowing small businesses to compete with much larger organisations in ways inconceivable in decades gone by.
Current initiatives to promote increased entrepreneurship through skills development programmes and increased access to financial capital, although welcome, are likely to prove insubstantial unless equal efforts are made to improve the overall efficiency of the national telecommunications framework. The livelihood of the majority of the poor people in South Africa depend on micro and small-scale enterprises.
Regular and easy access to the Internet is an increasingly important tool to assist students to seek information and learn to write and do research. An analysis of findings from the 2011 Census found disturbing evidence that the overwhelming majority of black African students are highly disadvantaged in this regard. Without access to the Internet, students will have fewer knowledge resources at their disposal and will be less experienced in how to deal with an oversupply of information. They will also be underprepared for making the move from the education system to the workplace.
The current broadband announcement, to achieve 100% broadband Internet penetration by 2020, in my opinion will be too little, too late. The success of this distant target, however, is dependent on both the public and private sectors, with the state-owned enterprises, SOEs, within the department playing a significant role. Unfortunately, they still appear to be lurching from one crisis to another. We are all aware, and it has been mentioned by the Minister and others, that state-owned enterprises are the delivery arms of government. Therefore, stabilising SOE boards and monitoring them and their compliance are crucial to ensure that they deliver on their mandates.
Minister Pule, you know as well as I that not much has changed over the past 12 months to make the SOEs efficient, and I want to tell you today that your goal should not be about achieving clean audits and greater alignment of strategic objectives. It should, and must be, about delivering those services that they are responsible for efficiently to the communities of our country. I thank you.
Chairperson, may I address you on a point of order?
Order! Continue, sir.
Chairperson, I didn't want to interrupt the speaker but, during his speech, the hon Schneemann of the ANC over there referred to the speaker as "Butch". According to the Rules of Parliament, which he knows very well, that is unparliamentary. One needs to refer to a member as the "hon member" and according to his surname. Please, would you ask the hon Schneemann to withdraw his comment? [Interjections.]
Order, members! I will come back to you on this one.
Hon Chair, hon members and members of the Cabinet who might be present, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of the Department of Communications, members of the portfolio committee, chairperson and the chief executive officers of the state-owned companies, captains of the ICT industry, senior government officials, members of the media, allow me to commence by observing a moment for Mr Luthando Namzi, a senior communications officer who is usually assigned to the Portfolio Committee on Communications. Mr Namzi passed away in a car accident on Friday, 17 May 2013. He served the committee with diligence, passion and the utmost commitment.
In the same vein, I must also join millions of South Africans who have always made sure that, together with the broadcasting fraternity, they will continue to send their messages of condolences on the loss of Vuyo Mbuli.
I also have the same problem as you, hon Steyn, in that I do not know which one I must read or present. I do not know whether to read this one or this one, or whether to go for you or to read my speech. [Laughter.] I am in a dilemma; I do not know what to do.
However, I thought that today, as we deal with the Budget Vote, it will be an opportunity for those who criticise the ANC's policies to provide alternatives, but I have not heard any alternatives. [Applause.] I think it is very dangerous when you deal with people who indicate to the right, but they then turn left. We do not have to encourage that.
If your policies differ from the ANC's policies, you must provide alternatives. It is always dangerous to deal with people who claim they will win the 2019 general elections. Why are they here? Next year, 2014, we are going to have the provincial and national elections, but they are already talking about 2019. It is a problem, because you have accepted that you are a nonfactor in the South African political environment. The ANC will continue to lead, lead you and also to lead on your behalf. [Interjections.]
The collaboration between the DA and the Sunday Times, confirmed by the editor, as it appeared in the City Press newspaper, is unfortunate and unethical. The confession that she admitted to authorising the submission of unsubstantiated information to the DA Member of Parliament is a sham and an attempt to try and hide their source behind the issue of public interest. Now the truth is becoming clear; it is becoming clear why the people have been calling for the public interest issue. It is because they want to abuse that particular clause. It has become apparent that the Sunday Times has disgraced South African journalism. The Press Ombudsman must investigate this matter, in particular the serious breach of the South African Press Code.
This confirms our assertion that some of the media houses have indeed taken a decision to be the opposition of this government. [Applause.] This further explains why the DA took it upon them to take up the plight of the big four in relation to government, and why government is spending on or advertising in The New Age. That indeed confirms their concern ... [Interjections.]
... Hayi inyani yona iyakrakra bawo. [The truth makes people uneasy.] It is either the DA that is the subsidiary of the Sunday Times or the Sunday Times that is a subsidiary of the DA. [Applause.] The DA is running out of options. They even tried to steal the South African Post Office programme of rolling out addresses. The DA claims that they are rolling out addresses in Ekurhuleni, a programme which is run by the South African Post Office. The ANC-led government came up with the programme.
The problem is that the DA do not have ideas. You do not know what to do and now you claim that the DA is rolling out addresses. Since when do you have that mandate? Who gave you that mandate? Since when are you the South African Post Office? You have really run out of ideas. Leave the Post Office to do what this ANC-led government mandated it to do, and that is to roll out addresses. [Applause.]
The problem we have here is that you think you are beyond reproach. That is the problem. When you talk, you think that you are beyond reproach.
Let us talk about The New Age.
I am going there, I am going there; do not rush me. The allegation that a DA councillor is a presenter at a community radio in Gauteng must be investigated and dealt with properly. You cannot abuse the platform of community media ... [Interjections.]
Order, members! Order!
It is the policy of the ANC to give communities a voice to speak about their issues, but you hijack it for your political ends. You need to be investigated by the regulator. We will be waiting for the report regarding that particular matter. [Interjections.] You can shout and do whatever you want.
I must congratulate the SABC for a job well done. [Applause.] A job well done! The concept of coming up with the breakfast show in collaboration with The New Age was a good move. What a good show, where an average of four million South Africans listen to the leadership of the ANC-led government. Anyway, we also accommodated the Premier of the Western Cape because she was part of the programme. [Interjections.] It is not a discriminatory programme. It is an opportunity to ensure that South Africans get the message directly from the government which they have elected and not from the Sunday Times, which seems to be in partnership with the DA or a subsidiary of the DA.
The fact of the matter is that you must not be ashamed, because all the government departments and state-owned entities must advertise in The New Age. Advertise in The New Age, because when we ask... [Interjections.]
Order, members! Hon member, just hold on for a while. Hon members, I am appealing to you once more. [Interjections.] Hon members, order! Let us give the speaker an opportunity to speak. All those who were on the speakers' list had an opportunity to speak. Let us allow him to make his points. If he is out of order, say so, but if he is in order, allow him to speak. Proceed, hon member.
The breakfast show programme presented by the SABC in collaboration with The New Age is a good show. [Applause.] The problem is that, when one asks what is wrong with advertising in The New Age, you are always told that they are not in compliance with the Audit Bureau of Circulation. The problem with that is, we must ask ourselves the following questions. Who dominates the print media industry? It is the big four. Who dominates the printing industry? It is the big four. [Interjections.] Who dominates the distribution? It is the big four. Who has the majority representation in the advertising industry board? It is the big four. Who controls the SABC and funds it? It is the big four. [Interjections.]
One cannot take The New Age to the guillotine. The fact of the matter is that we have a problem in the country, where the big four, some of them in partnership with the DA, control almost everything about this particular matter. [Interjections.] I am coming to you. What is different about the Department of Communications? Unless you cannot see or cannot read, and you read the report and the presentation before the committee, then you will see what is different. If people decide to sleep during the committee meetings, that is their problem.
In the committee meetings which I chair, we have noted a substantive progress in terms of improvement within the Department of Communications. The Minister, the Deputy Minister and the other speakers from the ANC have outlined the achievements by the ANC. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can say about you. You are talking about Cape Town 2020. Whose brainchild is that? It is the ANC's. [Applause.] What exactly is it that you have? Just put it on the table.
The 2020 broadband penetration of the Internet is the brainchild of the ANC, not yours. So you cannot come and claim the glory. You are not Kaiser Chiefs; you cannot claim the glory. [Laughter.] This glory belongs to the ANC, which from time to time is elected by South Africans to rule or to lead on their behalf, because they understand it is the only party which understands the aspirations and needs of South Africans. [Interjections.]
Let me help you about the local loop unbundling. The regulator respects the rule of law. It is unlike the people who go to the police and lay criminal charges and go to the Public Protector and institute an investigation, but they cannot wait for the outcome of those processes. [Interjections.] You went and laid a criminal charge, and you also went to the Public Protector and instituted an investigation. The Minister has been co-operating with all those structures and at no point has she disrespected the Public Protector or even the other processes. She respects due process because she is a member of the ANC and the ANC respects the rule of law. [Interjections.]
Let me help you with local loop unbundling. This regulator, you may think that you can fault it, but they know that in South Africa there is the rule of law. This regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, Icasa, went through a process of developing a framework of local loop unbundling. When they finished that, they wanted to implement it. You have a structure called the Complaints and Compliance Committee which ruled on the issue of the local loop unbundling. The decision of the Complaints and Compliance Committee is binding on the regulator. The matter is in the courts of this country. What do you expect the regulator to do? The regulator understands the rule of law, that the court processes must proceed until they are finished. After that, they will proceed to do whatever they can do, because they observe the rule of law. [Interjections.]
I just wanted to help you, because you are confused. They clarified these issues in the portfolio committee. Where were you? Were you busy exchanging views with the Sunday Times or posting stories to the Sunday Times, leaking information? Is that what you were busy doing? The regulator explained in the portfolio committee what they are doing about that particular matter.
Keep it up, Dr Mncube. Keep respecting the rule of law. [Applause.] I am done with The New Age. Do you want me to go back to that? What a show, between the SABC and The New Age, where plus or minus 4 million South Africans interact directly with their elected representatives. [Applause.] Because we are democratic, even the Premier of the Western Cape participated in the programme; that is how these things work. If you want me to go back again, I will go back. [Laughter.]
Uyabona ungakhe uwubase umlilo ungazi kuwotha. Awuzi kuwotha lo mlilo. [Do not punch above your weight.]
Regarding the issue of digital terrestrial television, DTT, digital migration, you must read the policies from the department. Hon Minister, as the ANC, we will urge you to put a timeframe for the SABC and e.tv in respect of the issue of standard control. If they are not doing so, you must review your policy. They do not have a political mandate. We cannot fail South Africans. Come June 2015 we should have reached our target.
About the issue you are talking about, the problem is that you do not read these policies. That is a problem. You just talk, you think as you talk or you talk as you think. [Laughter.] The broadcasting standard issue lies squarely with the free-to-air broadcasters and not with the Minister. The Minister was helping because for a year there was no movement between the SABC and e.tv. She tried to help. Now she finds herself in court for trying to help. That's why the Minister was saying, again, that because you are a member of the ANC, you respect the rule of law; you respect the court decision.
Charlotte Mampane, thank you very much for your leadership in the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa, Usaasa. You are doing very well. Continue to do us proud. [Applause.] [Interjections.] You will see it, if you do not see change and progress. I do not know where she comes from. Maybe she comes from First National Bank, FNB; I do not know. You cannot see changes and progress? Where does she come from, where does the chief executive officer of Usaasa come from? Is that not progress? What do you want to know about progress? Or do you want progress between the Sunday Times and DA? To you, that is the only progress; any other progress you do not understand. [Interjections.]
Hon Minister, this selective quoting of the Global Information Technology Report of 2013 is a problem. If you read that report, it is comfortable with the political and business environment. The political environment is our responsibility and that report is comfortable with the political environment. In fact, the report is saying the only problem we have in the country, amongst other things, is the cost to communicate and not the political environment.
Why then do you raise all these things? Why are you not true to the report? It is because you like to spin things around. The report, in terms of the political environment, clears us and says the political environment in South Africa, the business environment, is "sharp sharp" like the late Vuyo Mbuli always said. The report is saying it is "sharp sharp". But you come and stand here and want to create an impression that the ANC is politically unsound, whereas the same report says the political and business environments are okay, except the cost to communicate, which causes us, amongst other things, to be where we are. Which report have you read? Which report have you read, unless you have read a report by the Sunday Times, which you had written yourself and given to them, as you normally do. [Interjections.] Unless you have done that.
I must take this opportunity, despite everything else, to commend the members of the portfolio committee. The members of the Portfolio Committee on Communications are good members and they indeed contribute, but the problem happens when they are here. [Laughter.] I do not know why, but at the committee level they are doing very well. I must thank all members of the portfolio committee, including the members from the opposition. [Applause.] I must also thank the support staff of the committee, my personal assistant, Wandile Mguga; and Thembi Mngoma, the committee secretary, who is overworked - we have one secretary instead of two, and the newly appointed content adviser who has joined us. The ANC supports Budget Vote No 27: Communications. Thank you. [Time expired.]
Hon Chairperson, I once more thank you for the opportunity to respond.
Xo sungula, ndzi rhandza ku vula leswaku loko vanhu va nga ri na mahlo yo vona, loko Xikwembu xi nga va nyikanga, a va swi koti ku vona. Mina ndzi nga ka ndzi nga swi koti va nyika mahlo.
Xa vumbirhi, loko ndzi yima laha mahlweni na loko ndzi pfuka masiku hinkwawo ndzi ya eka Ndzawulo ya Vuhlanganisi ku ya tirha, ndzi tirha ni ku simeka pholisi ya ANC. A ndzi tirhisi pholisi ya munhu un'wana. Xo sungula, va hava pholisi. Hambiloko va nga swi rhandza ku ndzi lomba a va na yona. Ndzi ta tirhisa yihi ya vona? (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)
[Firstly, I would like to mention that if people do not have eyes to see - when God did not give them eyes - they cannot see. I am unable to give them eyes to see.
Secondly, when I stand before you and when I wake up every morning and go to work at the Department of Communications I implement the ANC policy. I do not implement any other person's policy. To start with, they do not have a policy. Even if they would like to lend me one, they do not have any. Which of their policies am I going to use?]
Sihlalo wekomidi yesigungu, mhlon Kholwane, ngitsandza kusho loku: Ngiyabonga kakhulu kutsi sewucacise tindzaba letinyenti kakhulu lapha ngembili, ngobe labanye bantfu abafundzi. Kwesibili-ke kungenteka kutsi abafundzi nje ngulokutsi letinganekwane tibhalwa ngibo, ngako-ke ngeke batifundze ngobe batati kahle. Kube bebafundza ngabe sebafundzile kutsi letinchubomgomo tetfu titsini, kuze bati kutsi kahle kahle yini umsebenti Welitiko Letekuchumana.
Lokunye nje, bebatakwati kutsi Litiko Letekuchumana lisebentisa kuphela inchubomgomo. Ngabe bayati kutsi Litiko Letekuchumana lite budlelwane netifundza kanye nabomasipala. Ngabe sebayati kutsi Litiko Letekuchumana linetisebenti letinge-366 kuphela, kantsi letisebenti tisitwa nguletinhlangano letitimele letibika kulo Lelitiko Letekuchumana. [Kuhlaba lulwimi.] Ngiseta lapho; ungagijimi wena mfati waka-DA ngobe awukwati nekufundza. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson of the portfolio committee, hon Kholwane, I would like to say the following: Thank you very much for explaining a lot of things, because some people do not want to learn. Secondly, it can be that they do not want to learn because these fairytales are written by them; therefore they cannot read them because they know them. If they were prepared to learn, they could have learned what our policies say so that they would know exactly the responsibilities of the Department of Communications.
One other thing, they will know that the Department of Communications adheres to policies. They will know that the Department of Communications does not have a relationship with the provinces and municipalities. They will also know that the department has only 366 employees, and these employees are assisted by independent organisations that are reporting to the Department of Communications. [Interjections.] I am still coming to that; women from the DA do not rush, because they can't even read properly.]
Chairperson, let me quickly help the DA member, hon Shinn. She quotes things that she didn't read correctly and she is even rushing now. She thinks that I don't read. I read, and I do research every day. I also do my work every day.
I'm coming to the digital migration, because you don't even understand what it is. You don't even know what digital is, and I want to tell you what it is. Let me help this member first.
Sihlalo lohlon, angibasite ngengete lapho ugcine khona. [Hon Chairperson, let me help them by adding where you stopped.]
Let me read the report that you are quoting. Maybe you read Afrikaans and you can't read English. It's written in English and it says:
In comparison with our peers, we are well ahead in the political and regulatory environment, business and innovation environment, infrastructure and digital content and in business usage. However, we are about equal with our peers in economic impacts ...
Ngako-ke, angati kutsi ukhuluma ngani! [Therefore, I don't know what you are talking about!]
Let me go on to the digital migration, because you don't understand what it is. When I stood here in front you earlier this morning, I explained to you where we are in terms of digital terrestrial television, DTT.
First, I said to you that we have now achieved 80% of the roll-out of the digital broadcasting signal. [Interjections.] Oh my G*d! Why don't you read or listen? I said here this morning that for digital migration to happen, you need two things, namely the digital signal and the set-top boxes. I said to you in the morning that we were in the process of making sure that the manufacturing of the set-top boxes happens in this country.
Indeed, chairperson, you are right, we as the Department of Communications and as members of the ANC respect the law. That is why we did not oppose the outcome of the court. Let me remind you what I said here this morning.
Futsi-ke kuncono ngikusho ngeSiswati loku ngobe lomfati lo akevisisi nekuvisisa, ngako ncono ngitjele bantfu bakitsi labatakuva kutsi ngitsini. Ekuseni ngitsite, sesitsetse sincumo njengelitiko sekutsi sitawugucula inchubomgomo yetfu khona sitekwati kusheshisa sente lomkhankhaso we- Dramatic Dream Team, DDT, ngobe ngeke sime la silitjatiswe bantfu labangafuni kusebenta. Ngishito njalo-ke, sihlalo. (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[It is even better to say this in Siswati, because this woman does not understand, therefore let me tell our people who will understand what I say. This morning I said that we have taken a decision as a department that we will change our policy so that we can speed up our Dramatic Dream Team, DDT, campaign, because we cannot be delayed by people who are not willing to work. I said so, Chairperson.]
We are continuing with the implementation of the DTT.
Sihlalo ngeke ngibe ngisakhuluma lokunyenti ngobe besengishito kutsi sewungisitile watichaza kahle tonkhe tintfo. Lengifuna kukusho nje kutsi ngibonga kakhulu ekomidini ngelusito lesiniketa lona onkhe emalanga. Uyati kutsini, kunemuntfu losukuma la atesitjela ngaboma-Telkom langabati nekubati, ngitivela shangatsi ngingatsi kulomkhandlu awusukume batewubona ngobe ... (Translation of Siswati paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, I will not say much, because I have already said that you helped me by explaining everything before me. What I want to say is to thank the committee for the daily assistance it provides to us. You know what, there is a person here who is telling us about Telkom that does not know how it works, and I feel like asking the members of the board to stand up so that you can see them because ...]
Telkom has a very capable and able board. Do you want me to ask them to stand up? They are here, and they are doing their job as we speak. Actually, they are leading us in the roll-out of broadband. I don't know what you are talking about. Please, you must read and listen when we speak.
Chairperson, there is a lot that you have said. You have covered me on everything. We can't fight people who don't see. We have told them and we have shown them what we have done. We can't fight people who can't hear. We have told them what we do. If they choose not to look or not to listen, there is nothing that we can do.
I want to thank the portfolio committee for their support. Chairperson, we want to make the following request. We will need money to roll out the DTT. The money will be for the DTT awareness campaign, the SA Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, and the DOC. The SA Post Office will also need a budget to make sure that they roll out those set-top boxes once we have manufactured them. The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa, Usaasa, also needs a budget. What we are asking you from this podium is to please support us so that we will have that budget. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Hon members, earlier on the hon member raised a point of order against hon Schneemann alleging that hon Schneemann had referred to another hon member as "Butch". Now hon Schneemann is not here to confirm or deny the allegation. [Laughter.] But nevertheless, let me say the following.
All hon members in this House must address each other as hon members so as to preserve the decorum of this House. I think that this message will also be communicated to hon Schneemann, that all the members of this House must refer to each other as hon members.
Members are reminded that the Extended Public Committees on National Treasury and on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs will meet at 14h00 in the Old Assembly Chamber and E249 respectively. [Applause.]