A report by the Portfolio Committee on Communications has highlighted an apparent rift in the ranks of the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (SATRA).
The report is the outcome of a fact-finding exercise into alleged irregularities within SATRA.
"On the basis of the information gathered by the committee, we are of the view that the SATRA Council and its staff are riddled with tensions and suspicions, and these have the potential to undermine the stability of the telecommunications sector," is one of the conclusions reached by the committee, which is under chairmanship of Nkenke Kekana.
The Portfolio Committee had several closed meetings with the SATRA Council during September and October, on which the report is based. These meetings were not without controversy. The first meeting was not attended by SATRA chairman Nape Maepa, who was out of the country at the time, according to the portfolio committee.
According to the report, Maepa alleges that the SATRA Council was invited to the closed session even though he informed Kekana that he would not be available during a telephonic conversation. At a subsequent meeting Maepa stated that he had no confidence in the committee chairperson because of the incident.
Kekana denied that such a telephone conversation ever took place.
In the report the committee expressed its concern at leaks of confidential SATRA material to the media, and referred to anonymous correspondence it had received from SATRA staff. "It was clear from this correspondence that the SATRA staff were polarised and were taking sides in the tensions within the council," the report reads.
During the closed sessions with the SATRA Council, several issues were raised, many relating directly to Maepa's conduct. Among these are allegations that Maepa took decisions without council approval, that he removed agenda items raised in council meetings and that he raised issues with the media without consulting the council.
Several complaints about the tender process within SATRA were also heard.
Maepa alleges that one councillor has over the years ruined the moral of SATRA staff. According to the report, the chairperson said that staff members had received death threats and that some councillors showed "ethnic favouritism".
On the basis of this information, the Portfolio Committee has reached the conclusions that decision-making at SATRA is defective, that the organisation's tendering process is vague and that there are no clear guidelines regarding the appointment of staff.
The committee will recommend to the National Assembly that the Auditor-General conduct an audit of SATRA activities.
SATRA spokesperson Esta Gouws told ITWeb that she is unable to comment on the report, as SATRA has not yet seen it. "We will of course co-operate with the committee, but we cannot comment on the report at this time," she says. Maepa has not yet commented on the matter either.
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