Mevrou die Adjunkspeaker, dis die eerste aankondiging wat ek vandag hoor van die planne van die Minister. Ek gaan Afrikaans praat omdat dit my moedertaal is, so as u wil luister, is u baie welkom.
In die eerste plek moet ek vir u s, van die DA se kant af, deel ons absoluut die sentiment van die Minister dat kommunikasie so 'n belangrike item in ons land is, want dit bring mense in verbinding met mekaar; dit veroorsaak dat daar nie probleme of misverstande en dies meer ontstaan nie, en dis 'n wonderlike ding wat gebeur. Ons is baie dankbaar dat hierdie sogenaamde interkonneksietariewe verlaag gaan word.
So 'n maand of twee gelede in die Portefeuljekomitee oor Kommunikasie het ons openbare verhore gehad, soos die Minister self weet, en daar het 'n mens agtergekom hoeveel probleme daar is in die entiteite wat onder die Departement van Kommunikasie ressorteer. Die Minister en ons voorsitter, mnr Ismail Vadi, is ook bewus van die feit dat die Onafhanklike Kommunikasie-owerheid van Suid-Afrika, Okosa, nou reeds baie, baie jare lank die voete sleep. Dis my eerste termyn in die Parlement, maar ek wens hierdie dinge was al 'n paar jaar gelede opgelos.
Ons almal het gedink, toe Cell C in 2002 na vore gekom het, dat hierdie interkonneksietariewe gaan daal omdat daar toe 'n mate van kompetisie in die mark was, maar wat het toe gebeur? Daar was ' n styging van 500% tot by R1,25 op die ou einde, en dit is 'n onaanvaarbare situasie. 'n Mens wonder of die Mededingingskommissie nie vroer moes ingegryp het nie.
Daar is net een ding wat ek net graag hier in die Parlement wil s: dit is die rol van die Onafhanklike Kommunikasie-owerheid van Suid-Afrika om te kyk na die strukture, die uitdeel van frekwensies en dies meer. Dis hoekom hulle die Onafhanklike Kommunikasie-owerheid genoem word.
Ek is net bekommerd dat ... Laat ek myself in die rede val: dit s so dat die Minister wel direktiewe aan Okosa kan gee, maar, soos hulle in Engels s, " they're not bound by this directive". Ek hoop dus dit was, soos hulle in Engels s, "that due process was followed," dat alles volgens die wet verloop het en dat dit nie 'n onaanvaarbare ingryping deur die Minister was nie, want Okosa is nie verantwoordelik aan die Minister van Kommunikasie nie. Die raad van Okosa word deur die Parlement aangestel en dan moet hulle onafhanklik optree.
Ons hoop daar gebeur binne Okosa 'n klomp dinge, want dis nie net die telefoonkoste wat 'n probleem is nie; daar is geweldig baie ander probleme ook in Okosa wat die toekenning van frekwensies en dies meer betref. Ons het netnou gehoor van al die probleme in Eskom, en ek wil vir u s met ons oorsigbesoeke wat ons aan Okosa gebring het, kon ons sien daar is baie probleme; daar is gevegte tussen die raad en die uitvoerende bestuur van Okosa, en die personeel is nie baie gelukkig nie.
Daar is dus 'n hele klomp dinge wat in hierdie stadium opgelos moet word, maar namens die verbruiker is ons gelukkig met die verlaging van hierdie koste. Dit was 'n sterk besprekingspunt in die Portefeuljekomitee oor Kommunikasie.
Daar is net een ding, en u het dit self ook genoem. Ek hoop net nie dat hierdie ingryping die markte gaan benvloed nie, want daar kan geargumenteer word dat, as die Minister die mag het om in te gryp en pryse te manipuleer, as ek die woord mag gebruik, van die internasionale ouens sal kan besluit om eerder 'n bietjie versigtig te wees, want hulle kan dalk in die moeilikheid beland. Baie dankie vir die geleentheid, agbare Mevrou die Adjunkspeaker. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr N J VAN DEN BERG: Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the first announcement I have heard today about the Minister's plans. I will be speaking in Afrikaans because it is my mother tongue, so if you want to listen, you are very welcome.
Firstly, I must tell you that we in the DA absolutely share the Minister's sentiment that communication is such a big issue in our country, as it brings people into contact with each other; it prevents problems and misunderstandings from developing, which is a wonderful thing to take place. We are very grateful that these so-called interconnection rates will be reduced.
About a month or two ago we had public hearings in the Portfolio Committee on Communications, as the Minister himself knows, where we realised how many problems there are in the entities that fall under the Department of Communications. The Minister and our chairperson, Mr Ismail Vadi, are also aware of the fact that the Independent Communications Authority, Icasa, has for many, many years now been dragging its feet. This is my first term in Parliament, but I wish these things had already been solved a few years ago.
We all thought that when Cell C stepped up in 2002, the interconnection rates would drop because there was a degree of competition in the market, but what happened then? In the end there was an increase of 500% up to R1,25, and this is an unacceptable situation. One wonders whether the Competition Commission should not have intervened sooner.
There is just one matter I would like to mention here in Parliament: namely the role of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa in looking at the structures, the allocation of frequencies and so on. That is why they are called the Independent Communications Authority.
I am just concerned that ... Let me interrupt myself: it is true that the Minister may issue directives to Icasa, but, they are not bound by these directives. So I hope, that due process was followed and that everything was done in accordance with the law and that it was not an unacceptable intervention by the Minister, because Icasa does not answer to the Minister of Communications. The board of Icasa is appointed by Parliament and then they must act independently.
We hope that a number of things will take place within Icasa, because it is not only the telephone costs that constitute a problem; there are a great number of other problems in Icasa, also as regards the allocation of frequencies and so on. We have just heard about all the problems in Eskom and I can tell you that during our oversight visits to Icasa we could see that there were many problems; there are altercations between the board and the executive of Icasa, and the staff members are not very happy.
So there are a lot of things that need to be sorted out at this stage, but on behalf of the consumer we are happy about the reduction in these charges. This was a major point of debate in the Portfolio Committee on Communications.
There is just one issue, which you yourself have also mentioned. I just hope that this intervention will not influence the markets, because it could be argued that if the Minister has the power to intervene and manipulate prices, if I may use that word, some of the international firms may decide to be a little careful, because they could get into trouble. Thank you for this opportunity, Madam Deputy Speaker. [Time expired.]]