The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications is expected to vote on the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) Amendment Bill this afternoon, says Lyndall Shope-Mafole, director-general of the Department of Communications.
Shope-Mafole says the proposal by the department that experts be involved in the appointment of ICASA councillors will not in any way threaten the independence of the regulator.
"It does not matter whether a panel of experts is appointed at the beginning of the appointment process or whether the expertise is accessed at a later stage," she says.
The important issue is that the committee has access to technical expertise and there is someone who can ask probing technical questions during the interviewing process, she says.
The guarantee that the ICASA Amendment Bill is constitutionally sound lies in the fact that, while the minister still appoints councillors, the final say on the appointment has been restored to Parliament, she notes.
Shope-Mafole says the department is happy that Parliament has agreed that a performance management system for ICASA councillors be put in place. This will ensure they are held accountable for their work plans, and that Parliament has the basis to objectively evaluate their performance.
"Anyone who knows how to work wants to have a performance management agreement, because it protects you from irrational behaviour of people you work for," she says.
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