I Matsepe-Casaburri: Launch of Maluti–A-Phofung Community Digital
Hub

27 February 2006

Programme Director
Mrs Beatrice Marshoff, Premier of the Free State Province,
MECs
Traditional leaders
Dr Gulube, CEO of the USA
Local Government Mayors and Officials
Ms Trudi Van Wyk: Director at the Department of Education
Members of the community
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

We are gathered here today to launch a project that is a symbol of some of
the achievements our democratic government has made in bringing about
improvements in the lives of our people through co-operative governance of all
spheres of government to demonstrate that we have been a learning government.
We are also gathered here, during a very important time in our history, when we
will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Women’s March. We dedicate
ourselves anew to the spirit of nation building and sacrifice, which was shown
by these illustrious mothers and sisters. It is this spirit, which inspires us
today to play our rightful role and ensure that our hard-won freedom will never
ever be derailed.

We recognise that many of our people already have access to improvements in
housing, electricity, water, telephones, better health and education
facilities. In the President’s words, today is a better day than yesterday.
However, we are also conscious that there is much that still has to be done at
the local government level especially, to increase the capacity of local
government in bringing about local economic development so that tomorrow is
better than today.

In today’s world where economic development is driven by demands of the New
World Economy Information and Communication Technologies – information and
communication technologies (ICTs) are crucial. We as government have over the
last decade developed policies to enable our country to be part of this
emerging new world called the Information Society. Whereas in the past
political order, access to telephones, let alone mobile phones, email and the
internet used to be the privilege of the rich; today we are making every effort
to bring these facilities within the reach of all our people including those
who live in the rural areas.

The challenge has been if the state has the capacity to deliver fast and
whether people have been prepared with the necessary capacity to receive and be
enabled to use them.
 
Government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (Asgisa)
initiative as unveiled by our Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, is a
programme that will help us keep focused on the actions that are needed in
order that we respond adequately to the challenge of building and sustaining a
responsive developmental state.

It is against this background, that I would like to congratulate the Premier
of the Free State, as well as previous MECs of Agriculture and the current MEC
for their visionary thinking and foresight in agreeing to the partnership with
my Department and the Universal Service Agency (USA) in integrating ICTs into
the Provincial and Local Governments’ Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). We
must also applaud the Agency, Digital Partnership of South Africa, Microsoft SA
and other partners who participated in developing this excellent partnership
model for sustainable development. This is a model of which we can all be very
proud.

We are anticipating that very soon, an Under Serviced Area Licence (USAL)
will be issued in this district. Public hearings have already been conducted
and we are awaiting recommendations from Independent Communications Authority
of South Africa (ICASA) regarding the granting of a licence to Thabo
Mafutsanyana District Municipality. I am convinced that the launch of this
Community Digital Hub and the future licensing of a USAL, will make it possible
for us, as government, to meet our commitment to the people of this district
and other communities in under serviced areas so that they become active
participants in the New World Economy. Schools, clinics, hospitals, businesses,
churches can not run without people who can write. In the near future they will
be unable to run without people proficient in ICTs.
 
To promote universal access to ICTs, the DoC and the USA are partnering with
provincial and local governments in establishing Multi-Purpose Community
Centres (MPCCs), telecentres, e-school cyberlabs and Community Digital Hubs.
Through the rollout of these at the national level, possibilities are being
created for millions of people to assimilate ICTs for empowerment. Where there
was nothing yesterday, today, communities have at their disposal, computers,
access to email and internet, fax facilities and photocopiers. They have been
assisted to enter the digital economy. I would be proud if they do so
successfully.
 
The Maluti A-Phofung Community Digital Hub has gone one step further than the
norm in that it has made available locally specific information and knowledge,
which is directly relevant to the livelihoods of the people. This is an
agriculture-based region. People who want to interact with the provincial
agricultural offices or the University of Free State or access the expertise
from Agri-Free State, will now no longer have to travel all the way to
Bloemfontein or Bethlehem. The information and contact is placed right here at
their doorstep.
 
The Digital Hub we are launching here today is but an extension of a vast
network of 194 Cyberlabs and Telecentres to be launched in various districts in
the country over the next few months as part of the USA ICT community awareness
campaign. Today it is the Maluti-A-Phofung Community Digital Hub; tomorrow it
will be another school in another rural village where another ICT facility will
be launched. Gradually the rollout will touch every part of our country as we
march to the new social order of the day - the information society.
 
Since training is critical for people to enjoy real benefits of ICTs, it is
important that communities should use the project to the maximum. Specific
people have been trained to impart knowledge, so that computer skills of people
and communities are improved through constant training. It is expected that our
people will benefit through the guidance and training received from these
teachers who have been especially trained as well as those who are in the
“train-the-trainer” programmes
 
In turn, the community learners must also impart their skills and knowledge to
others so that the whole community, especially the youth, should imbibe the
much-needed culture of ICTs in line with progress as is taking place globally.
These are technologies of the future and therefore must involve the young,
especially the very young.
 
We should also bear in mind that the installation of these community facilities
presents challenges of accountability and responsibility. This project should
be received and accepted by the community. The community should own the project
and use it to the fullest and at the same time ensure that it is protected
against acts of theft and vandalism.
 
As the day of the municipal elections approaches, let’s charge our batteries
and turn to the polls to give a fresh mandate that will empower our local
government structures and institutions in the delivery of much needed services
to our people. Proficiency in the use of these technologies can improve
efficiency of local government through e.g. meter- readings, bill accuracy and
timeousness.
 
In his State of the Nation Address, the President spoke about our “Age of
Hope”. Our Finance Minister’s speech emphasised keeping the faith and being
charitable. Let us embrace these words of hope for it is we, the people who
have the responsibility to bring this era of hope, faith and charity by doing
for ourselves

Thank you.

Issued by: Ministry of Communications
27 February 2006
Source: Department of Communications (https://www.doc.gov.za/)