Nape Maepa, chairman of the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has withdrawn from the decision process around the third cellular licence and will not be taking part in either the deliberation or adjudication of the licence.
Maepa said in a statement that he made a comprehensive statement to the SATRA council over the weekend in terms of the Telecommunications Act, which requires the disclosure of any conflicting interests. "Experts in these matters... including legal opinion obtained by SATRA in this regard, have found no merit in these concerns," he says in the statement.
Minister of Communications Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has confirmed that Maepa stepped down from his position as head of the adjudicating panel to "clear any perception that might arise because of his past association with an interested party in the outcome of the process." The minister says Maepa's move does not imply guilt.
The third licence process has been dogged by allegations that some councillors are linked to bidding consortiums. Maepa has also been accused of nepotism and mismanagement, allegations he was later cleared of by the Department of Communications. A report by the Portfolio Committee on Communications in November last year found that SATRA was "riddled with tension and suspicions, and these have the potential to undermine the stability of the telecommunications sector."
"Mr Maepa's recusal still leaves the Council with a quorum and would thus not prejudice both the deliberations and the outcome of the process. However, it reduces the prospect of litigation which could further delay the licensing process," Matsepe-Casaburri said in a statement.
A final recommendation on the winning third bid is expected by the end of March.
Maepa says that SATRA has numerous other tasks it is engaged in and that he will apply his energy to these.
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