ICT empowerment charter players have denied a newspaper report implying that the charter has been derailed and stating that they are starting fresh on a new charter. However, they concede the process has been significantly delayed and a meeting is being held to discuss outstanding issues today.
The denials follow a Business Day report that two years of work on the industry`s empowerment charter were being thrown out, with a new steering committee drawing up a fresh document to replace the original.
The reports came after a strongly-worded statement issued yesterday by Tebogo Khaas, president of the SA SMME Forum, in which he criticised industry players for delays in implementing the charter.
However, Khaas said this morning there was no suggestion of the process being derailed. "There is no talk of replacing the draft charter with new documents."
Charter questions
There have been questions about delays in the implementation of the charter, which had been scheduled for this month. Players have also questioned how representative the draft charter is of the entire industry.
The final draft was completed late last year following months of debate over issues such as multinationals and their compliance with the guidelines.
The final draft charter was handed to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) in November, with issues to be finalised including the composition of the ICT BEE Council, the regulated sub-sectors, the 'living document` philosophy and mass communication issues.
Strong words
Khaas`s statement issued yesterday called for the charter to be speeded up, saying this would benefit everyone, especially small and medium enterprises. The statement said: "In our estimation, all the outstanding issues could be finalised within six weeks at a maximum."
Khaas also accused individuals under the regulated sector - including individuals from Telkom, MTN and MultiChoice - of "holding the process to ransom".
"It is a known fact that while almost all significant stakeholders in the sector pledged their support for the process as evidenced by signatories to the last working draft, certain representatives of Telkom, MTN and MultiChoice chose not to do so for reasons best known unto them. With all its limitations and challenges, the last working draft of the ICT charter is a document worth embracing and finalising into a 'living` document for the benefit of the sector," he wrote.
Telkom has denied claims that it is holding the charter process "to ransom" or that it has delayed the process. Telkom spokesman Xolisa Vapi says Telkom has merely raised the issue of "double jeopardy", pointing out that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) already regulates the company.
Vapi notes that Telkom has been named 'Most Empowered Company` by Empowerdex, and has spent R26 billion on empowerment since 1997, so to accuse Telkom of delaying empowerment moves "is being oblivious to Telkom`s achievements in this regard".
Delayed, not derailed
Industry players meeting today to discuss the charter`s progress concede that the process has suffered significant delays.
Torque-IT executive chairman Mthunzi Mdwaba, who represents the IT sub-sector on the new ICT empowerment charter steering committee, says the process has been "hugely delayed", but there is no question of starting afresh.
The steering committee also includes representatives from other sub-sectors, including the broadcasting sub-sector. Mdwaba was unable to comment further this morning, as he was in the steering committee meeting.
Steering committee member and Computer Society of SA executive director Roger Dawes also confirmed today that the process had not been derailed. He said today`s talks would look at issues relating to charter compliance among broadcasting and telecommunications players, who also fall under ICASA regulations.
The charter is now expected to be Gazetted around the middle of this year.
* Click here to read the ICT charter steering committee`s press statement on this issue.
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