Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, and visitors in the gallery, I too would like to convey my condolences to the family members of the Minister of the Public Service and Administration, the late Minister Padayachie, as well as to those of former Minister Shiceka, and I also remember our comrade, the hon Magazi.
Today in this Communications Vote, my focus will be on the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA, Usaasa, and the National Electronic Media Institute of SA, Nemisa, as well as the role of both agencies in the provision of skills in South Africa in order for us to meet the goals of job creation, as requested by our President in his 2012 state of the nation address.
I would like to quote a statement found in the strategic plan, where they stated that:
By 2020, every man, woman and child, whether living in the remote areas of the Kalahari or in the urban areas of Gauteng, can connect, speak, explore and study using ICT.
This is the work of Usaasa, whose vision is to be the leading organisation in the promotion of the goals of universal service and access to information, communication, technology services and social economic development. Its mission is to facilitate the establishment of access to ICT services in partnership with all stakeholders towards achievement of an information society.
Therefore, it is with concern that I read in Usaasa's report, when they reported to the portfolio committee, that South Africa is ranked 86th out of 207 countries on the digital opportunity index. This ranking is alarming for a developmental country such as us and in the spirit of the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit on the Information Society. Implementation seeks to connect villages, schools, hospitals and libraries and to ensure that over half of the world's population has access to International Corporate Communications, ICC, by 2015.
Both Usaasa and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, Nemisa, need to be able to assist South Africa and its residents in achieving access and connectivity for all our people.
When Usaasa came before us as a portfolio committee they mentioned that there were four projects that they aligned with the national outcomes as well as the Minister's performance outputs and the objectives of the Department of Communications. I will focus on only one of these outputs linking to job skills. Usaasa will deploy 200 community access centres through an entrepreneurship model involving public and private partnership. They will claim 400 personnel on e-skilling and they will also work within these centres.
The committee also requested that Usaasa retrain their own employees and redeploy personnel to positions in line with their skills; the currently vacant positions in Usaasa be filled; and also that the skills capacity challenges be addressed. The committee also urged the Minister to speed up the process of appointing board members to ensure the smooth functioning of Usaasa. We were informed as a committee that this will be finalised this month.
The current work in Usaasa is being done by staff of the Department of Communications - they are currently the caretakers of Usaasa. The committee urged that suitable people be appointed to this board.
Nemisa's vision is to become a transformed national leader in the training and development of world-class ICC electronic media skills in pursuit of knowledge and innovation in South Africa and on the African continent.
The mission of Nemisa is to accelerate ICT and electronic media training research and development for the advancement and empowerment of South Africans through harnessing strategic partnerships in a sustainable manner. The mandate for Nemisa's establishment was that it provided the much-needed skills training at an advanced level for the broadcasting industry. It also offers diploma courses, short courses and internships in three subjects, namely TV production, radio production and creative multimedia.
The emphasis is on equipping students to be market related in a wide range of broadcasting disciplines and to have the ability to work effectively in constantly changing conditions.
When Nemisa appeared before the portfolio committee it mentioned that market conditions and the changing ICT environment demanded skills in multimedia technology, and the training courses originally offered by Nemisa had to be adjusted accordingly.
The digital terrestrial television programmes also demand skills in digital broadcasting and in the installation as well as the maintenance of the set- top boxes, a value change study which indicates business and job opportunities and to see what skills would be required.
Some of Nemisa's 2011-12 achievements include accreditation from the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education Training Authority, MICT Seta, which enabled them to finalise the certification of students as well as developing a training programme for lecturers receiving Microsoft accreditation and having student productions accepted by e-tv. However, one concern from Nemisa was that the SABC was not employing Nemisa graduates to the desired extent.
The portfolio committee is also concerned about the limited number of students enrolled at Nemisa. Due to the limited space available it is only able to register 130 students. A model is now being developed that will allow the training programme to be offered in six other universities situated in different provinces and Nemisa is also developing a network with other training institutions to provide e-skills to the entire country.
As a result of the huge Digital Terrestrial Transmission, DTT, programme coming up technical skills will be required for the manufacturing, repairing and maintenance of set-top boxes. This project will enable small businesses to be established, especially in the rural areas of South Africa. With the necessary skills many unemployed people can benefit from this project. Nemisa must please encourage people with disabilities to be aware and to be part of this project so as to enable disabled people to be employed and skilled in this sector.
Nemisa also informed the committee that they were now collaborating with Telkom and they were aware of Telkom's training facilities where there was a bigger venue with the possibility of accommodating more students for future jobs. There are also vacant positions, especially the position of the chief executive officer, CEO, which the committee hopes to fill soon.
For the year 2012-13, Nemisa's budget is R34,1 million, but the committee would like to see the report and presentation about the possible merger of Nemisa with the Institute for Satellite and Software Applications, ISSA, and Meraka e-Skills Institute to form one integrated ICT institution.
During my first term at Parliament I had the opportunity to visit ISSA with the portfolio committee and we were very impressed with the training and the resources that we saw at this facility. Nemisa and the Department of Communications can consider ISSA's venue as a possible training location for Nemisa. The new institutions are both intended to fill the skills gap in the communications sector, and it is recommended that at least one of them specialises in the ICT sector.
The Department of Communications needs to look into how the department can work with the industry to fast-track the skills gap in the ICC sector and provide the necessary employment in this sector.
Chairperson, the ANC supports the Department of Communications' Budget for Usaasa and Nemisa for the year 2012-13. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS: Chairperson; hon Minister of Communications Ms Dina Pule; hon members of the House and members of the executive; chairperson and members of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, distinguished guests from the information communication technology, ICT, sector; ladies and gentlemen; and, lastly, my sisters in school uniforms over there, allow me to greet you in the name of the Lord, our Saviour, as we celebrate May as the Workers' Month and, historically, we commemorate the fifth president of the ANC, Comrade Pixley Ka Seme. May the centenary flame of the ANC provide light and the spirit of ubuntu to all of us.
In 10 days' time, on 17 May 2012, we will be celebrating World Telecommunication and Information Society Day under the theme "Women and Girls in ICT". Together with the industry and in collaboration with the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, we have planned a festival of activities from 17 to 20 May 2012 to encourage and acknowledge the role of women in ICT.
This year's Budget Vote speech theme is "Building ICT infrastructure for South Africa's advancement in the knowledge and digital economy". It is a living theme and is consistent with the elective mandate of the ANC-led administration. In building information highways, we will indeed be able to: connect rural and urban, rich and poor in all corners of the Republic, thereby enhancing the quality of education and health; reduce poverty and inequality by increasing access to services; create jobs; ensure our people transact and communicate safely when they use cyberspace; and, most importantly, work together as a nation to combat child pornography and human trafficking.
In rolling out ICT infrastructure, network operators must be encouraged to share infrastructure which, I believe, will enable them to make savings and maximise broadband deployment to the home and business, as well as reduce the cost to communicate. It is my view that there are no limits in technology innovation. As a result, we will construct univocal policies to further enhance market liberalisation, encourage investment in the economy, level the playing field by encouraging new entrants in the market, and this will be done in the public interest. We are committed to supporting research, development and innovation initiatives in the information and communications technology, ICT, sector, which aim to develop a strong base for an information society and knowledge economy.
Chairperson, in her address, the Minister spoke about the three flagship projects of the department - the comprehensive ICT policy review, broadband and the broadcasting digital migration. Without going into the details of these projects, the availability of broadband and digital terrestrial television will encourage businesses and individuals to access a variety of these services online. It is therefore critical that a conducive policy environment exists to build confidence and trust in the use of cyberspace, including the protection of critical ICT infrastructure.
In this regard, in March 2012, Cabinet approved the National Cyber Security Policy Framework, which provides for, amongst others, measures to build confidence and trust in the secure use of ICT; measures to address national security in terms of cyberspace; and measures to combat cyber threats, including cyberwarfare, cybercrime, cyberterrorism, cyberespionage and others.
This framework was developed on the understanding that ensuring a safer cyberspace is critical if South Africa is to take full advantage of the information economy and society. Cybersecurity is non-negotiable, as government needs to assure citizens that they are safe and secure when in cyberspace. This will ensure that there is uptake and usage of online services, which will bring about more efficiency in the way business is conducted and in the way people interact, be it socially and otherwise.
The protection of children and vulnerable groups is important. It is imperative that people begin to understand what constitutes some of the online ills that might be perceived to be harmless, as these might have detrimental results. In addressing this, the department has commenced the process of developing a cybersecurity awareness programme in conjunction with relevant stakeholders. During this financial year, we will focus on establishing a cybersecurity hub to pool public and private sector threat information for the purposes of processing and disseminating such information to relevant stakeholders, including the cybersecurity centre. As we are dealing with the issue of cybersecurity, we are also faced with the high rate of cable theft, which is a cause for concern, as this directly impacts on critical ICT infrastructure, which adversely affects individuals, business and government. The department, together with the Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster, is addressing this issue. The impact of copper theft is that one day we might not be able to access our money from the banks - including those who are beneficiaries of the social grants - nor will we be able to utilise certain equipment in hospitals due to systems breakdown. Thus cable theft amounts to terrorism, as it could lead to a loss of innocent lives.
With regard to our contribution to the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, which is led by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, the department has developed the ICT Rural Development Strategy, which will be implemented in this financial year. The strategy focuses on establishing new access centres in the 161 priority areas across the country, as identified by the relevant department. The strategy also affirms our commitment to connect all schools and health centres in the country. Due to the cross-cutting nature of this project, we have established a dedicated task team comprising the Departments of Communications, of Basic Education, of Public Service and Administration, of Rural Development and Land Reform, of Health, and of Science and Technology.
In this financial year, we have prioritised the provision of broadband connectivity to 1 650 schools in all provinces as the initial phase of the implementation of the national connectivity plan for schools. This project is a result of a legacy project of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. The broadband connectivity will enable schools to have access to the Internet, e-mails and hosting services. It will also strengthen learning and teaching processes, enable sharing of educational resources in schools and improve administrative processes. The department, in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, is also facilitating the development of the business case, which will ensure that every school across the country is connected as part of the broadband strategy. Providing connectivity to our impoverished areas is a key priority because communications facilitate socioeconomic development, especially access to government services. In addition, we have partnered with the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs in our quest to provide small enterprises and co-operatives with connectivity as part of the department's small business development programme.
Hon members, you will all note that I have not said anything about further education and training, FET, colleges and the universities. It is mainly because we are still engaging with the Department of Higher Education and Training on the approach, as we also identify them as critical stakeholders.
We are committed to increasing the footprint of community radio stations across the country. Our vision is to ensure that there are community radio stations in every municipality. We have begun a process to look at the impact of the community radio support programme since its inception in 1998. This will assist us to develop and implement a comprehensive community radio station support programme that will focus on content, capacity-building, signal distribution and infrastructure. Providing support to the community television sector is a new focus area that will be addressed during this financial year. Furthermore, the comprehensive policy review process will consider, amongst others, the best mechanisms for the growth and development of community television.
In a world where ICT reaches every corner of human life, the competitiveness of an economy and social cohesion have increasingly become dependent on the ICT-related skills and competencies and digital literacy of the workforce. The latest Global Information Technology Report 2012, published by the World Economic Forum, highlighted that South Africa ranks at 72 out of 104 countries based on the availability of infrastructure, affordability and skills. In addition, a report published in 2008 by the International Data Corporation emphasised that more than 90% of jobs available in 2014 will require ICT-skilled workers. The integration process will allow the department to improve skills initiatives at tertiary institutions, including one of the two proposed universities that are envisaged to be established in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
We will do this by capitalising on increasing our provincial presence through establishing provincial e-skills knowledge production and co- ordination hubs, thereby increasing their number from the current five to nine, aimed at impacting e-skills capacity development at a provincial and local level. We will increase our national research network for knowledge production and innovation to ensure that the e-skills interventions are based on sound evaluative principles.
This year we will host the second e-Skills Summit that will bring a collaborative action-orientated approach across all stakeholder groups in government. [Time expired.] Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]