Monnasetilo wa sebaka, kitso le tlhaeletsano tsa seteginiki ke mokgwa o o botlhokwa thata go tlhabolola matshelo a bagaaborona segolothata jang kwa metsemagaeng. Katlanegiso le kgwetlho ya go tlhabolola matshelo a batho di ikaegile thata mo tirisanommogong ya puso ya boset?haba, puso ya bogareng, puso ya selegae le ditlamo tsa puso. Mmogo re ka dira go le gontsi. A letsogo la moja le itse se la molema le se dirang. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Ms S R TSEBE: Chairperson, the knowledge of information and communication technology is an important aspect in the development of lives in our society, especially in the rural areas. Both the success and the challenge of the development of the lives of the people rely heavily on the national government, the provincial and local governments, and the government entities working together. Working together we can do more. The right hand should know what the left hand is doing.]
Chair, the ANC believes that there is a need to harness information communication technology, ICT, for socioeconomic development. This will, of course, improve the quality of life for a better life for all.
We have also acknowledged in our coming policy conference document on communication that, "Over the last three decades, the world has been undergoing, and continues to undergo, an information and communication technologies (ICT) revolution, which has fundamentally transformed the way people live and relate."
ICT touches every aspect of our individual and collective lives, both social and economic activities. Those who use digital network ICTs are part of the digital economy and will be advantaged. Those who are left behind in an analogue environment will face hardship to compete in every aspect of life, including the educational sphere, employment opportunities, democratic inclusion and service delivery. Therefore, hon Minister, this budget must speak and be biased towards the rural poor so that they become part and parcel of this digital economy from the beginning.
The primary obstacle in making use of ICT for economic growth and poverty reduction is the absence and limited scope of the existing ICT infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.