MINISTER OF COMMUNICATION & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES KHUMBUDZO NTSHAVHENI

She took over from Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams in August. Ntshavheni was acting minister in the presidency from January 2021 to August.

WHAT DID SHE GET RIGHT?

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during his State of the Nation address that the country must complete the broadcast digital migration by 31 March 2022 – which means South Africa will transition from analogue broadcasting to digital terrestrial TV. “The switch to digital terrestrial television allows the country to move into the digital age and improve the quality of TV services,” Ntshavheni says. The initial deadline for the transition was 31 March 2021 but it was missed and reset to a year later – and the minister is confident it will be reached. Experts say Ntshavheni’s biggest move so far is launching a project-steering committee to make sure the analogue broadcast service switch-off picks up.

If she reaches the deadline, it’ll be a huge victory for her.

WHAT SHOULD SHE FOCUS ON IN 2022?

In short, speeding up the digital migration plan. “There’s been a lot of work that’s been done in that area, so now we need actual policy that’s going to guide the country into the next five to 10 years,” says political analyst Tessa Dooms.

The policy should include providing free set-top boxes to poor households, which the government has indicated is part of the plan, and will enable households to continue to receive free-to-air broadcasting services. If they don’t have the settop boxes, they won’t be able to watch SABC or e.tv.

Ntshavheni should also focus on upgrading the government’s technology hub that’s been dysfunctional for a long time.

“The government’s inability to provide for its own technology needs is a burden on the fiscus,” Dooms says.

“We can’t talk about going into a technological revolution with a government that’s still tardy and stuck behind the walls of inefficiency.”

One of the biggest examples of technological inefficiency is home affairs, says political economy analyst Daniel Silke.

“It’s an operational disaster. The system is often down, which means services are delayed. Even navigating the department’s website is a struggle because it’s so difficult to understand.”

‘SAA WENT THROUGH A HUGE CHANGE. IT’S GONE DOWN, IT’S COME BACK UP AND WE HAVEN’T HAD PROPER BRIEFINGS ABOUT THE STATE OF THAT SOE OR ABOUT THE DEALS THAT HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN MADE’ ‘THE GOVERNMENT’S INABILITY TO PROVIDE FOR ITS OWN TECHNOLOGY NEEDS IS A BURDEN ON THE FISCUS’