Deputy Speaker, the Department of Communications incorporates a number of entities, but the most pertinent issues to date have been with the SABC and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. This report is supposedly aligned to address the border
government policy framework, the New Growth Path and the Management Development Programme, MDP. It should prioritise job creation and poverty alleviation, combat crime and corruption and prioritise rural development education and health.
Some of the recommendations of the report stems from the Fifth Parliament's challenges with this department entities, with most of the issues surrounding the improper planning, maladministration and spending of financial resources. The SABC reported a net loss of R482 million in the 2018-19 financial period that ended in March 2019. Quite simply, this is a massive amount of money to lose and any properly run organisation that could just shift the burden to the taxpayers would be unable to easily digest this loss.
We see that corrective measures are in place to try and address the huge amount of money the SABC is haemorrhaging. The staff of the SABC should be commended on their commitment and resolve to ensure the running of the organisation while their salaries were in jeopardy due to corruption and maladministration. The IFP welcomes
the recommendation by the committee to, amongst others, propose that the Minister fully collaborate with the SA Police Service and the Special Investigating Unit, SIU; to look into the SABC's financial situation as a result of mismanagement and to comprehensively report on its turnaround strategy.
In closing, Icasa has been pushing the implementation and roll-out of 5G technologies for the next generation of broadband technology. While South Africa should be brought into these technologies, there have been potential health and environment and security risks represented by these technologies. [Time expired.] The IFP has submitted questions to all departments on various associated risks in this regard, but there have been conflicting responses to this. I support the report.
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