Hon House Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers and hon members, I greet you all. The NFP welcomes and supports the Budget Vote for Telecommunications and Postal Services tabled here today. The department is under major pressure with the fast evolving technological advances. Digital advancement continues to reshape our world in ways that encourage people to form new habits and find new ways to work together through effective and timeous communication methods.
The NFP believes that if the department remains committed in these key mandates to meeting strategic goals and objectives, we can keep up with the fast growing digital world; effective and efficient strategic leadership, governance and administration; a responsive communications policy regulatory environment and improved country branding; and a transformed communications sector.
We note and welcome the R64,9 million allocated for administration, the R16,4 million allocated for communication policy and R47,4 million allocate for management of enterprise development, broadcasting digital migration, industry research and analysis.
The access to information and content is indeed easy and with this luxury the need for regulatory policies are needed to protect our children. We are unable to thoroughly monitor the information and content consumed by minors but it is our duty to implement policies that can protect them as best as we can.
The suggested course on digital media in partnership with the private sector and nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, will educate communities on how they can create and make use of opportunities through digital media. We note that most South Africans do not benefit from the information communications technology, ICT, infrastructure, but we must focus on improving the promotion, growth and sustainability of small, medium and macro enterprises, SMMEs, through facilitating the implementation of the ICT SMME development strategy. We thank you.