I have been advised by the Department as follows:-
(a) and (b) In the development of the Project scope; Phase 1 Business Case and Plan; the Department engaged and consulted critical stakeholders including State-Owned Companies (SOCs) of the department who provided insight into the national footprint of infrastructure as part of the effort to determine the infrastructure gap. Provincial departments also provided input on their broadband rollout plans to ensure that they align with South Africa Connect and are integrated into the common plan of the DTPS. The national Departments of Health, Basic Education, Rural Development, National Treasury through the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), South African Police Services and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) were consulted to develop the user requirement specification for the broadband services as part of the development of the business case.