Parliament questions ICASA

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 15 Aug 2006

Members of Parliament today called on the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to explain media reports that the regulator had urged the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to investigate the leaking of staff exit reports.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications met today to begin deliberations on the nominations for the five vacant ICASA councillor positions. In terms of the ICASA Amendment Act, the committee has to submit eight names to the minister of communications for a final decision.

Dene Smuts, Democratic Alliance MP; Suzanne Vos, of the Inkhatha Freedom Party; and Elizabeth Lumke, of the African National Congress, all expressed concern about a report in the Mail and Guardian in July, that had not been denied by ICASA. The report stated ICASA wanted the NIA to investigate the leaking of staff exit reports.

"I suggest that we, as the ICASA oversight committee, write a letter to [ICASA] and ask them to explain to us what they thought they were doing. If the report is true, I have never heard of such a load of rubbish," Smuts said.

The members of Parliament also asked for ICASA to furnish them with the staff exit reports they originally asked for in the last parliamentary session.

Appointment process

Committee chairman Godfrey Oliphant (ANC) said while the committee has read the newspaper reports, it has not attached too much importance to them. However, he did feel they warranted a reply from ICASA.

"However, I want this committee to remain focused on the matter at hand [the interviewing of councillor candidates] and not rush into a separate oversight investigation," he said.

Vos also cautioned the committee that it must scrutinise the 58 nominees` CVs closely. "The time is coming for a make or break situation for ICASA. We need the right people to fill the vacant positions," she said.

Oliphant said as far as the ICASA council candidates were concerned, the committee members must also examine factors such as gender, the time needed for interviews and the overall time frame for the interviewing of candidates.

He also suggested that since about 30 of the candidates are based in Gauteng, the committee should consider holding some of the interviews in that province.

The committee will meet again on Friday, 18 August, to table a shortlist of candidates to be interviewed.

The full list of candidates will be published later this afternoon.