Mixed reaction to Matsepe-Casaburri reappointment

Johannesburg, 29 Apr 2004

The telecoms industry has had mixed reaction to the announcement yesterday by President Thabo Mbeki of his new cabinet, which saw Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri retain her position as minister of communications, despite widespread speculation that she was to retire.

The appointment of Radhakrishna Padayachee as her deputy minister has, however, been welcomed, as it has expanded the Department of Communications and will offer the minister support to lean on in times to come, with numerous issues still to be resolved.

"I see Matsepe-Casaburri`s reappointment - along with that of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang - as a vote of confidence by the government in the capabilities of female ministers," says telecoms analyst Andre Wills, of Africa Analysis.

"While both of them were widely expected to exit their portfolios, I believe the government feels it is important to maintain broader representation by keeping women in senior parliamentary roles."

He says two key issues to look at are those of the appointment of a deputy communications minister, as this will boost the department`s capacity and facilitate faster processes, and the appointment of Alec Erwin to the public enterprises portfolio, as there is a lot of common ground between the two portfolios, and both are key sectors.

Paving the way

"The deputy minister`s appointment is a positive sign for the industry, as it will help to maintain the continuity within the department and possibly will also pave the way for the minister`s ultimate successor," says Ray Webber, spokesman for the Communication Users Association of SA (CUASA).

"We believe that continuity is very important in this industry, so keeping the same minister is important, especially when one considers that the department`s director-general, Andile Ngcaba, recently resigned."

Webber believes that it will be easier for issues like the second national operator (SNO), draft Convergence Bill and underserviced area licences (USALs) to be resolved by the incumbent minister, since she has been involved with the processes from the outset.

Wills, however, disagrees on the importance of continuity.

"I don`t think her reappointment has too much to do with the outstanding issues like the SNO - despite what a burden it has become, dragging on in much the same way the third cellular licence did," he says.

"Personally, I don`t think that continuity is necessarily that important, since our telecoms industry has a pretty simple market structure, after all."

Telecoms hot seat

Webber feels continuity is rather more important. "If a new minister had been appointed to the telecoms hot seat, I think that the outstanding issues we have mentioned could well have proved difficult for them to deal with.

"CUASA therefore thinks that the minister`s reappointment will prove to be good for the industry, but we want to urge her to act expeditiously to resolve the major outstanding issues as quickly as possible, and we look forward to seeing this happen soon."

The South African VANS (value-added network services) Association (SAVA) has aligned itself with CUASA`s comments.

Chairman Mike van den Bergh says SAVA is a similar organisation, with similar views to CUASA, and it therefore agrees with CUASA`s remarks regarding Matsepe-Casaburri`s reappointment.