Failure to launch

One of the most disheartening things about being a journalist is that I hear about so many well-intentioned initiatives that ultimately fail to deliver on their promises.

When launched, there is much fanfare and the parties involved speak passionately about their commitment to bridge the communication/digital divide.

Large amounts of cash are bandied about, and sometimes timelines are set. Not wanting to miss out on the developments, I diarise the timelines so I can follow up later, and maybe have a good news story to report.

Ha! Before long I'm the nag who's pushing people for an update on something for which they initially sought media coverage. Then, when I discover and report the project is not progressing as it should, I'm the ghoul who'd rather report bad news than good.

The R500 million GautengOnline initiative is the perfect example of this scenario. It was expected to bring Internet connectivity to more than 2 000 schools in Gauteng.

The project was announced long before I joined ITWeb, but reading the government speeches and media releases published at the time of the launch, one would expect the project would serve as a good test case for e-school initiatives in Africa. However, my interaction with the people who were, at the time, coordinating the project, soon put paid to that illusion.

Why should government waste money to deliver on a promise that is no longer worth the time and resources that would be required to see it through?

Damaria Senne, senior journalist, ITWeb

Extracting information from them was really hard work and it later emerged things were not working out as expected. I later found a school in Soweto that had a computer laboratory installed, despite the fact it did not have electricity. I did a number of articles after that, but how many ways can you find to say this project is not progressing as it should be?

The latest report on the project is that half (about 1 200) of the schools in Gauteng are connected, initial funding has been obtained and the hot potato has been passed on from the original coordinators.

Then there are the two-SIM card initiatives that were going to bring connectivity to the poor. In 2003, communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri told Parliament that government would begin an initiative through which five million SIM cards and 250 000 mobile phone handsets would be given to disadvantaged communities, over a four-year period, to bridge the communication divide.

Mobile phone starter packs were rather pricey at the time, so the initiative was met with approval and enthusiasm by all concerned. I still only have the pitiful information I managed to gather from the Department of Communications in December last year. Essentially, nothing much has happened and there doesn't seem to be a plan to rectify the situation.

Why should government waste money to deliver on a promise that is no longer worth the time and resources that would be required to see it through? The value of a SIM card is no longer what it used to be, and those who needed assistance to get connected can probably buy themselves a SIM card now, though many still need handsets.

I was reminded of this SIM card debacle last year, when Motorola SA also jumped onto the "free SIM card" bandwagon. Last May, then country manager Stephen Nolan said the company would donate a million SIM cards in a year, as part of the company's campaign to "connect the unconnected".

The company noted it was looking for strategic partners from both government and the non-profit sector to ensure distribution of the SIM cards to those in need. The year that Motorola set aside to accomplish the task is about to end, and I have a sneaky feeling the targets were missed. Of course, I'd stand corrected if someone were to send me an update saying close to 800 000 SIM cards were already in the hands of the needy!

My next plan of action is to follow up with iBurst regarding its plan to roll-out 25 000 Internet caf'es in a year. Then I'll start shaking the trees to see what comes out with regard to the mobile operators' social responsibility licence obligations to connect the disadvantaged.

I'm well aware they completed their plans and submitted them to the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA). Problem is, I'm not quite sure where the hold up is.

The operators previously said they were waiting for approval of their plans from ICASA. However, that line of questioning dried up when ICASA said I needed to speak to the Department of Communications, as there's a policy matter to resolve first. The policy person I spoke to at the department referred me back to ICASA... You get the drift.