ICASA candidates grilled

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

Cape Town, 29 Aug 2006

Brenda Ntombela received a grilling by members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications yesterday.

They questioned her closely about her duties within the Department of Communications, during the first day of interviews for the five vacant Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) councillor seats.

The other three applicants were Robert Nkuna, a former department spokesman; Jill Wagner, the national director for the SA Council for the Blind; and Mashilo Boloka, a media academic and director of the Media Development and Diversity Agency.

Originally, 20 candidates out of 58 nominations were short-listed for interviews. However, committee acting chairman Godfrey Oliphant (ANC) said one candidate, Mpho Legkoro, an ANC member of Parliament, withdrew his nomination.

Ntombela came in for the heaviest questioning because of her policy and strategy role at the level of chief director within communications and her involvement in the formulation of the ICASA Amendment Act - the communications regulator`s enabling legislation.

Independence

Dene Smuts (DA) and Suzanne Vos (IFP) questioned Ntombela closely about what she understood to mean the "independence" of the regulator, and whether she could separate herself from the Department of Communications` thinking about restricting the regulator`s independence.

Ntombela replied that she would follow the law and the constitution that guaranteed the regulator`s independence.

As far as independence of the councillors was concerned, Ntombela said: "Independence can be measured. Once I become a councillor, my independence, as far as being fair and non-prejudiced, can be measured."

Vos and Smuts also pointed out that Ntombela had been nominated by state-owned enterprise Sentech and supported by cellular network operator Vodacom, in which the state has an indirect shareholding due to its 38% stake in Telkom.

"What kind of discussions did you have with either the minister [Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri] or the director-general [Lyndall Shope-Mafole] about this nomination?" Smuts asked.

Vos also pointed out that Sentech`s nomination stated clearly it was the parastatal nominating her and "not just one person".

Public process

Ntombela replied she understood this to be a public process and that anyone could nominate her. However, she denied having any nomination from the minister or the director-general of communications.

In reply to a question from Kgotso Khumalo (ANC) on why she would apply for a position that offers a lower salary than she receives, Ntombela said she was unaware of this, but that becoming an ICASA councillor was part of her "growth in the ICT sector".

During his interview, Nkuna stated he had left the department more than two years ago and that 80% of the staff he had worked with had since left.

Wagner stated she was not aware the position of ICASA councillor was a full time post, and she would have to consider this in the light of her commitments.

Boloka stated that, unless the local loop was unbundled, the country would never realise the 6% economic growth it was aiming for.

The interviews continue today.