Although the Department of Communications (DOC) has had 10 ministers over the past 13 years, not one has been able to fast-track South Africa's Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) programme.
The communications department is charged with overseeing the country's digital migration process.
SA missed the June 2015 deadline set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for countries to complete the full switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT).
It is vital for the country to complete the switch-over as it will allow mobile operators to access prime spectrum. Government has also identified the BDM programme as a key project to aid its efforts to bridge the digital divide and increase the competitiveness of the economy.
With every leadership change, pundits have stressed the importance of completing digital migration, but the process has been one bumpy ride, characterised by party politics, miniscule progress, corruption allegations relating to procurement of set-top boxes (STBs), and shifting deadlines.
ITWeb charts the department head changes over the years at the DOC, and the road to complete the country's switch to DTT.
2006 to 2014
In 2006, when SA, along with other countries, committed to the ITU's June 2015 deadline for all nations to switch-over from analogue to digital TV, the late Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri was in charge of the department.
Following Matsepe-Casaburri's death on 6 April 2009, the DOC welcomed late Manto Tshabalala-Msimang as its new minister in an acting capacity. Tshabalala-Msimang was in the position for little over a month until 10 May 2009.
Siphiwe Nyanda served as department head from 11 May 2009, until his removal on 31 October 2010 in one of former president Jacob Zuma's infamous Cabinet reshuffles.
Nyanda was replaced by Roy Padayachie, who was deputy minster of public service and administration at the time of his deployment to the DOC. The late Padayachie held the position until 24 October 2011.
On 26 October 2011, Zuma appointed Dina Pule, who is renowned for having accomplished very little under her tenure. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was named as the deputy minister of communications.
Pule was axed and replaced by Yunus Carrim on 10 July 2013, but 10 months later, he was dumped as the department's minister after Zuma announced new, fragmented ICT ministries, including a telecoms and postal department and a "new DOC".
Changing the script
From 2014 to date, the DOC has had five different department heads. They are: Faith Muthambi, Ayanda Dlodlo, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Nomvula Mokonyane and incumbent, Ndabeni-Abrahams.
Muthambi was named minister following Zuma's 2014 decision to form a "new DOC". At the time, Zuma said the communications department would be responsible for overarching communication policy and strategy, information dissemination and publicity, as well as the branding of the country abroad. However, critics labelled the new communications ministry as the "department of propaganda".
During her tenure, Muthambi faced criticism for wanting journalists to report so-called "sunshine journalism", the way she had managed the digital migration process and the production of STBs. She was also reportedly at odds with Ndabeni-Abrahams, who served in a deputy capacity at the time.
In addition, her decision to amend the ANC's policy on the type of decoders that would be used for digital TV did not sit well with some of her counterparts. In 2013, the ANC resolved to use encrypted STBs for the country's migration, but her amendments called for the use of unencrypted decoders. She was lambasted for defying ANC and alliance decisions on DTT.
When Dlodlo came into office, she flipped the script on unencrypted STBs, giving the green light to encryption. Her decision, she said at the time, was based on following the policy of the ANC.
Migration model U-turn
Last year October, the communications ministry, under Mokonyane, announced government will no longer be involved in the procurement of STBs, warehousing, transportation and installation of devices.
This, according to Mokonyane, would allow SA to make headway towards the completion of the digital migration project. "The model adopts a market- or retail-driven approach through collaboration and partnerships with the private sector and industry."
Mokonyane is the only minister to openly acknowledge digital TV challenges, noting the project has bedevilled government for over 10 years. She also admitted the project delays have been costly for government and the industry.
As a result, Mokonyane promised to complete SA's analogue switch-off by July 2020.
Buck stops here
With the communications ministry now unified, the industry is looking to Ndabeni-Abrahams to speed-up the digital migration project in line with the department's self-set deadline.
Ndabeni-Abrahams's status was elevated to minister when president Cyril Ramaphosa decided to undo Zuma's 2014 decision by merging the ICT-focused ministries.
The DOC now functions as the ministry of communications and telecommunications.
Under Ndabeni-Abrahams, the DOC has not shared much detail on progress of the digital migration process. However, in the Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) document, handed out to coincide with the national budget speech in February, the department once again promised to fast-track migration.
In the ENE, the DOC stated: "The shift from analogue to digital broadcasting is critical to transforming the communications sector, as it frees up much-needed spectrum for broadband and other modern communications services. Digital broadcasting, therefore, will enable South Africa to adapt to and participate meaningfully in a globalised economy."
In April, deputy communications minister Pinky Kekana led a two-day inspection visit to identify and resolve any possible challenges in the implementation of the BDM programme in the Free State.
In the Free State, over 75% of households have registered for free STBs, the department's spokesperson previously revealed.
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