Thank hon Chairperson; communication the human connection, is key to all forms of success, therefore the importance of this department should be underestimated.
According to President Ramaphosa, the merge of the Department of Telecommunication and Postal Services and the Department of Communications will ensure better alignment and co-ordination of matters that important to our economy. This can however only be obtained if the different components of this department function properly, which currently is not the case at all. The instability in leadership of this department has had a detrimental effect on its entities. Such as the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, ICASA, the Film and Publication Board, the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, and the ANC government's greatest embarrassment, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC.
Minister, you referred to the Electronic Communications Act, but since it was passed into law, 17 years ago nothing has happened, nothing! A good piece of legislation but nothing has happened, niks [nothing]. The progress on essential projects such as the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting which has been ten years in the making and for which the deadline was set to be 2011, is still not completed. It is now estimated to be completed by 2020, but most probably that is also just a dream.
We are lagging behind our neighbours, Namibia and Botswana in this regard. This delay has cost the country more than R10 billion.
The poorest of the poor are excluded from affordable digital connectivity. Why? Is it deliberate or is it just incompetence? Because currently only elite few benefits. The economy is suffering due to the various delays to implement the Electronic Communications Act.
Let's get to the SABC in particular, Hlaudi Motsoeneng was appointed by the ANC, he was appointed by your predecessor Minister. The ANC protected him amidst his destruction of the public broadcaster, amidst his corruption, when he stole and was part of stealing R631 million from the Department of Human Settlement in the Orange Free State. Houses could have built for the poor-he stole, but ANC chose to protect him year after year and then what did he do? He started his own political party- learn from that.
The hon President's pipe dream of a smart city will never be realised amidst the mismanagement and corruption, which contribute to South Africa lacking behind the world in terms digital communication. We cannot talk about the fourth industrial revolution whilst we do not even have a nearly, almost functioning post office, not even a post office. We do not even have a functioning public broadcaster, but then we hear in every speech the fourth industrial revolution, we are far from that. Let's get what we have, working, let's implement what we have. Let' stop the corruption, let's make appointments based on merits. Learn from the Hlaudi Motsoeneng incident, listen to opposition parties; listen what is said, and listen when people within the entities tell you that there is a problem with a certain individual. Do not just ignore them.
The whole SABC destruction could have been prevented or limited if the Minister at that stage and ANC listened, but they chose to protect their cadre and now he is the ACM cadre. Stop your cadre deployment, if this is not done, the President's dream and actually a fairy tale of a smart city will remain a fairy tale
and the only place where the hon Minister will feature is as a fictional princess within that fairy tale. I thank you.