How time flies! Could it possibly be just a year ago that I found myself reporting on the appointment of a new South African minister of communications?
Nope, it was in fact more recently than that. 10 July 2013 marked the date Yunus Carrim was strapped into the hot seat. As of 25 May 2014, he has been replaced by former minister of state security, Siyabonga Cwele.
In fact, President Jacob Zuma has split the former ministry of communications in two, to create the new ministry of telecommunications and postal services, headed by Cwele; and the ministry of communications, run by Faith Muthambi, which “will be responsible for overarching communication policy and strategy, information dissemination and publicity as well as the branding of the country abroad,” explained Zuma when announcing his new cabinet. The latter ministry will officially take under its wing Icasa, the SABC, Government Communications and Information System (GCIS), Brand SA, and the Media Development and Diversity Agency.
The extent of Carrim’s success during his tenure is debatable, but he was certainly a hard worker, and proved ready to take a firm stance on matters of critical importance. The clearest example of this was his controversial ruling on access control for South Africa’s digital television set-top boxes, which had some very vocal detractors, most notably Multichoice.
In the end it seems the president was displeased with Carrim’s performance since he not only replaced him, but declined to find a new place for him amongst the new cabinet. Ten and a half months unsurprisingly proved too short for Carrim to sort out all of this country’s telecommunications problems, so apparently taking a leaf out of Bafana Bafana’s strategic playbook, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Again.
As for what Cwele will bring to the position, only time will tell.
Read more...Electronic News Digest
News
A brief synopsis of current global news relating to the electronic engineering fields with regards to company finances, general company news, and engineering technologies.
Read more...Correction: Marijana Abt, Rebound Electronics
News
In the August issue of Dataweek magazine, the article titled ‘Celebrating innovation, leadership, and the next generation’ featured Marijana Abt, senior account manager at Rebound Electronics. Owing ...
Read more...Trasna and RF Design announce distribution agreement RF Design
News
Trasna and RF Design have announced a strategic distribution agreement for cellular IoT solutions which will ensure seamless availability of Trasna’s cellular connectivity solutions.
Read more...Comtest hosts channel partners Comtest
News
Comtest, together with FLUKE, recently set the stage for an unforgettable afternoon as they welcomed over 80 Channel Partners to their annual celebration of excellence.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version