It is an honour and a pleasure to be talking to you today. I'm excited to be the bearer of good news about the realisation of one of the promises that your progressive government has made.
This public participation programme of the Department of Communications focuses on universal access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) services and progress on Broadcasting Digital Migration for television services.
I am happy to have this opportunity to talk to you the people of Greater Tzaneen Region on behalf of the government that is led by President Jacob Zuma. I would like to join the millions of South Africans and the world in wishing Tata Mandela a speedy recovery.
Distinguished guests,
Over the past 19 years your government has been working tirelessly to bring services to our citizens. The commitment to create a better life for all remains strong and unweilding while we continue to believe that working together, we can do more. The government has identified the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector as one of the key areas for job creation.
This sector can also play a facilitator’s role in boosting the economy and creating new wealth and entrepreneurship in our communities. The Department of Communications is determined to roll out essential ICT services to all citizens, especially those who live in underserviced areas of the country.
With each ICT centre that we connect, we bridge the digital divide by bringing essential ICT services such as computer connectivity, television signal and cellular telephone signal to the people. A cursory look at ICT trends shows that the world is moving towards mobile telephony. This trend is changing our world much like cars and airplanes changed the reality of our earlier generations.
While we welcome these developments, our primary role as government is to ensure that the technological revolution does not leave our fellow citizens behind, especially those who live outside the big metropolitan areas. This technological revolution can’t be realised through the survival of the fittest or of those with deepest pockets.
The community of Ga-Mmafele, here in Limpopo, is one example of how our policies change the lives of our citizens.
This time last year, this community could not make or receive mobile telephone calls because there was no signal. Our efforts as a department, working with our State-Owned Companies and the private sector, ensured that in August last year, the community of Ga-Mmafele was able to connect to the world via mobile telephony for the first time - nearly 20 years after the first mobile phones reached South Africa.
This community was also able to watch the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address from the comfort of their own homes for the first time. This was made possible by the roll out of the broadcasting signal by State signal distributor, Sentech.
Over the past 19 years, the hallmark our progressive government has been the establishment of policies and regulations that ensure that we create an inclusive society. In the ICT sector, these policies have led to the explosive growth of mobile telephony characterised by some people owning more than one mobile device.
Many more communities have access to radio and TV signals than in 1993. This unyielding commitment to doing the right thing for all South Africans is continuing. Today, amongst us, we have officials from the department and leaders of the State-Owned Companies that report to the department.
These companies are the SABC, the SA Post Office, Sentech, Universal Service and Access Agency of SA, the National Electronic Media Institute of SA and industry regulator Icasa. We also have representatives of private sector companies. I have brought all of these people here so that you can tell them about the services you want to have and for them to tell you how they plan to meet and surpass your expectations of them.
We have already made a solid start in our efforts to invest in the future of young people in this community. Earlier today we opened three ICT Centres that are based in three schools. With this act, we have brought world-class services and tools to help uplift this community of Nkowankowa.
Congratulations to the pupils of Mpumalana High School, Vuvhani High School and Letaba School for the Disabled.
You now have an opportunity to interact with the world in a manner that previous generations couldn't. We owe this investment in the future of these pupils to the undying spirit of the 1976 youth who braved the harsh regime of the past to demand a dignified education. The youth of 1976 fought for days like these, when our caring government brings services that are designed to push back the vicious challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
The Department of Communications is determined to bridge the digital divide for all, especially the poor.
Distinguished guests,
Allow me to use some numbers to tell the story of how the department's determination finds expression in Limpopo province.
In the past 12 months, the department, working together with its State-Owned Companies and private sector partners, has connected seven ICT centres in Limpopo Province. Today, we have connected another three centres. One of these centres is a school for the disabled.
There can be no greater demonstration that this government is committed providing equal opportunities to all members of our society. Connecting schools and community ICT centres is part of this government’s contribution to increasing broadband access for all citizens. In the past six months, the SA Post Office has operationalised two brick and mortar post offices in Nwamankena and Vahlavi in this province of Limpopo.
In areas where the postal infrastructure does not reach yet, the SA Post Office uses mobile post office to bring services to the people. As the department, we are exploring the possibility of using the existing postal infrastructure to deliver textbooks to pupils in this province. As you would know, there is a post office within reach of most South Africans.
We want to leverage this existing postal infrastructure to deliver services to the people. I have tasked the SA Post Office to use technology to remain relevant. One of the things they can do is to build good relationships with cooperatives and the community of Nkowankowa. The SA Post Office has an opportunity to deliver the goods that this community would be able to trade with the entire world following the launch of internet access in this community.
Limpopo boasts 18 Community Radio Station, effectively giving South Africans a platform to discuss issues that are dear to them and find solutions to some of their challenges. These stations are surviving because of government intervention.
The government has taken a deliberate decision to channel some of its substantial advertising budget to speak to more than eight million South Africans who tune into community radio stations across our country.
As the department, we have adopted a subsidy model for Community Broadcasters which has seen some of the radio stations benefiting from this programme. We are implementing this work through Sentech. We continue to interact with the stations to help them develop their capacity and expertise in broadcasting. One example of this is the National Community Radio Workshop we held in Polokwane last year.
As we speak, Sentech has completely covered the entire Limpopo province with the Digital Terrestrial Television signal that will ready South Africa for her eventual migration into the digital broadcasting era.
For South Africa to successfully migrate to the digital broadcasting era, we need to do three things:
- We need to have the DTT network
- We need Set-Top Boxes
- We need to make every South African aware of digital migration and many opportunities this era brings to the country.
On DTT network, I’m proud to say that the signal reaches 81 percent of all people living in South Africans. Sentech is hard at work to ensure that all citizens have access to this network by the end of 2013.
On Set-Top Boxes, we continue to interact with all role players in this sector, including broadcasters and manufactures. This week, the department met with bidders for Set-Top Box tender to explain the implications of my decision to review the Set-Top Box Control System.
They were also update about the validity of the tender and those who remain interested in the tender, have been requested to confirm their bids. This means that we should be in a position to evaluate the tender in September and the first Set Top Boxes should be available by the end of 2013.
Driving public awareness and education about DTT is the most important part of the digital migration process.
We are intensifying our efforts by coming to talk directly to you about the opportunities that are presented by this broadcasting milestone. In the past we used radio and newspapers to talk to inform you about DTT. Today, we want to have a conversation with you and you are most welcome to ask us questions. This is the route we shall be embarking on as we approach the digital broadcasting era.
Two main benefits that will be brought by DTT are clearer broadcast images and crisper voice clarity. Secondly, this migration process will bring with it more choice for viewers and encourage communities to tell their own stories themselves.
This will be a great contribution to our government’s effort to entrench social cohesion. We have identified that jobs will be created in areas such as content development sector, Set-Top Box manufacturing and distribution, installation and maintenance of Set-Top Boxes and call-centres.
Today’s special guest, the pupils in the Greater Tzaneen Region,
These computers that we are handing over to you today are an avenue for you to exercise your human right to communicate. They are also tools to develop yourselves, your families and your communities. Use them wisely. Use them to research other career options that are available in the ICTs.
We have brought in an exhibition to help you interact with some of the companies that are working with us to bring ICT services to the people. Your engagements should also help you kick-start your knowledge about career opportunities that are available in ICTs.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am acutely aware that bringing services to communities is one thing. The most important part is to ensure that these services improve the quality of your lives. The key determinant of the usefulness of ICT services is cost.
Last month I indicated that I will work with Icasa to see how the cost to communicate can be lowered in our country.
I am pleased to say that ICASA has hit the road running on this matter. Earlier this month Icasa launched its Cost to Communicate Programme. This came after I indicated that intend to issue a Policy Directive on transparent pricing of services such as SMS, Voice and Data to ensure market pricing transparency for the benefit of consumers - people like you and me.
Just last Friday, Icasa issued a Broadband Value-Chain Request for Information. This exercise will help define the broadband value-chain and identify areas where there is ineffective competition. I am confident that later this year, we would be able to start addressing the reasons for the high cost to communicate in South Africa.
Inkomu, Ndza Khensa!
