18 June 2025

The ANC Study Group on Communications and Digital Technologies welcomes the presentations today by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) before the Portfolio Committee regarding their performance in the third and fourth quarters for the years 2024/25.

We recognise the advancements highlighted by ICASA in terms of revenue generation, and regulatory oversight, especially in tackling illegal broadcasting and spectrum licensing issues. We also acknowledge the role they are currently playing in ensuring adherence to the Electronic Communication Act and that no single entity can subvert adherence to South African legislation when applying for a licence.

As the ANC Study Group, we emphasise the need to implement further measures to strengthen regulatory bodies such as ICASA, enabling them to speedily adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape. We also urge the full revitalisation of key strategic ICT legislation such as the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) to ensure that our laws keep pace with the global evolution of the sector, making South Africa an attractive destination for ICT foreign direct investment and giving our domestic entities a competitive edge in the global market.

A dynamic and responsive regulatory framework is crucial to capitalise on the potential of the digital economy. ICASA, as a regulator, is a driver of this point of change. This forms part of one of the key resolutions as highlighted in the ANC’s 55th National Conference resolutions and the President’s State of the Nation Address, where His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa, asserted that South Africa must “seize the opportunities of rapidly changing technology to build a digital economy, a digital state, and a digital society.”

The ANC emphasises the urgent need to expedite infrastructure initiatives, especially the expansion of broadband, to close the gap in digital access. It is essential to utilise broadband infrastructure to link schools, clinics, and various social amenities. South Africa must take bold steps to enhance access to free basic data, in alignment with the resolutions set forth by the ANC.

As the ANC Study Group, we continue to highlight the significant obstacles related to human resource capacity within both ICASA and the DCDT, such as unfilled positions and setbacks in organisational restructuring. Establishing a competent state hinge on the presence of skilled individuals. We call on these institutions to accelerate their recruitment efforts in line with the transformative agenda of the Employment Equity Act while maintaining a steadfast commitment to ethical governance standards. The ANC’s vision for a developmental state hinges on the necessity of a public sector that is professional and responsive, a state for the people, by the people and represents the interests of the people.

The ANC continues to stand firm in our dedication to ensure that all South Africans have access to digital resources and in advancing the modernisation of South Africa’s communications framework. We urge the DCDT to promptly tackle the identified shortcomings and guarantee that their strategic plans are entirely in sync with the prerogative of constructing a capable, ethical and developmental state.

Issued by the Whip of the ANC Study Group on Communications and Digital Technologies, Cde Imraan Subrathie

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