Ndabeni-Abrahams’s first year in office: highs and lows

Minister of communications and digital technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams [Source: GCIS]

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Today marks exactly one year since president Cyril Ramaphosa announced minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams as the head of a reconfigured Department of Communications (DOC).

Ramaphosa’s decision saw the coming together of the departments of telecommunications and postal services, and communications into a single communications ministry, now known as the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT).

The move was widely welcomed by the industry, with some describing it as a step towards more effective regulation and development of the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors. Furthermore, the appointment of Ndabeni-Abrahams was lauded because she is regarded as a stalwart of the telecommunications department.

One year into the portfolio, some are wondering what the minister has done, something she also alluded to during a panel discussion at the AfricaCom 2019 conference last week.

“I hear everybody saying ‘this minister is delaying us’. I’m 11 months in the portfolio,” said Ndabeni-Abrahams, referencing her time in the ICT-focused portfolio.

To mark the minister’s first year as DCDT head, ITWeb charts some of the high and low moments that have characterised her time in office.

In July, the minister issued the policy and policy direction for the licensing of high-demand spectrum, after what appeared to be a lifetime of delays.

Mobile operators have, for years, been pleading for more spectrum in order to provide faster and more widespread high-speed data services. Furthermore, government has identified a spectrum auction as one of the options to raise several billion rand for the economic stimulus and recovery plan.

SA’s last big set of spectrum issued was in the 2.1GHz band, which helped the operators in their 3G network deployment. Vodacom and MTN were allocated such spectrum, respectively, in 2004 and 2005, while Cell C received such spectrum in 2011.

During this time, the telcos have had to split and re-farm their spectrum resources to mitigate spectrum shortages and expand 4G availability.

Commenting on the delay in issuing the spectrum policy, Ndabeni-Abrahams explained: “The minute I came in, I issued a policy direction after some months because I had to consult.

“I’ve had to make sure that I follow all the processes and do consultations to limit the probabilities of being litigated, because that is what has been delaying the spectrum process.”

Now that the spectrum policy has been issued and the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has expressed intent to expedite the spectrum licensing process, the IDC’s Mark Walker advises the minister to prioritise spectrum allocation.

“Smooth the process for ICASA regulation policy, make it attractive for foreign investment and skills that the sector needs – not only from the East but also from the West.

“Focus on commercial and economic acceleration that tech enables without fear or favour. Enable the private sector to run and encourage public/private partnerships rather than state-owned or sponsored initiatives.”

Perhaps not her finest moment, but Ndabeni-Abrahams embroiled herself in the “Please Call Me” drama earlier this year.

The “Please Call Me” saga between Vodacom and former employee Kenneth Nkosana Makate reached fever pitch in January. For 18 years, Makate has been trying to get compensation for creating the lucrative call-back service.

An avid Twitter user, Ndabeni-Abrahams tweeted a not so ministerial response to the mobile operator. She was replying to a tweet from Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, who took it upon himself to criticise Vodacom over the “Please Call Me” matter.

"Just shut up Vodacom and do the right thing. ‘Talk to Makate’ instead of this poor PR stunt. Don't talk to us until you have reached a settlement with him and his team,” said the minister’s now-deleted tweet to the mobile operator.

Since her appointment, the minister has dedicated attention to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), coining the now-popular phrase: “building a capable 4IR army”. Ndabeni-Abrahams believes it is important to build capacity for the 4IR by making sure the workforce is ready for the revolution.

Her department has also been designated as the department co-ordinating government's 4IR programme.

South African government leaders have hyped up 4IR using the phrase in most, if not every, public speech. However, recent utterances from deputy president David Mabuza showed not all members of the executive are well-versed to delve deeply into what this fourth industrial revolution means.

“[The minister’s] scorecard needs improvement in defining exactly what the 4IR is and what it is not,” states Walker. “Especially government’s understanding across ministries and departments – mixed messages coming through.”

The IDC associate VP for sub-Saharan Africa lauded the involvement of the private sector and empowering the Presidential Commission on 4IR.

Ramaphosa spearheaded the establishment of the Presidential 4IR Commission, which is mandated to advise government on 4IR policies, develop a framework for implementation of a multi-sectoral 4IR strategy, and co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate multi-sectorial initiatives that will position SA as a globally competitive player in 4IR.

When the minister took over the communications and digital technologies department, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was pegged as the entity that would take up most of the minister’s energy.

The SABC has a long history of challenges ranging from mismanagement of funds, rogue leadership, interferences with editorial policy, as well as troubles at board level, to name a few of the issues.

In 2018, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse cautioned the minister about political meddling at the entity. This was after she engaged staff members on their concerns at the SABC.

At the meeting, Ndabeni-Abrahams reportedly encouraged staff members, who feared losing their jobs through retrenchments at the public broadcaster, to be involved in solving the challenges in the organisation.

In February 2019, the minister had to issue an apology for her altercation with an SABC news crew who were filming an ANC provincial rally in the Eastern Cape.

“I would like to offer my sincere apology for an earlier altercation with some members of the media during the ANC provincial rally in Mount Frere, while trying to stop the singing comrades,” she said. “I wish to assure the media and South Africans at large of my unreserved commitment to media freedom. I sincerely regret the incident.”

Last month, Ndabeni-Abrahams announced the SABC will receive a bailout of R3.2 billion from National Treasury. The minister said R2.1 billion would initially be transferred to the cash-constrained SABC and the broadcaster would get the remaining R1.1 billion once all the bailout conditions were met.

Under Ndabeni-Abrahams’s leadership, the DCDT has locked-in key partnerships with private sector stakeholders. The minister has been vocal that training the future workforce will require collaboration between government and various role-players.

According to the department, companies such as Cisco, Microsoft, Google, NEMISA, Digital Opportunities Trust and IBM are assisting in training, skilling and reskilling citizens, especially the youth, in digital astuteness.

Mobile operators MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Liquid Telecom are providing connectivity at selected public mainstream and special needs schools as part of their universal service and access obligations, the department has indicated.

Walker says: “Top marks to minister Ndabeni-Abrahams for raising public awareness of the impact of information and communication technology on society, commerce and the world of work now and in future.

“While the minister has emphasised the positive aspects from an economic perspective, she has not shied away from the tough questions around employment, privacy and security,” he concludes.