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No. 37261
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 24 JANUARY 2014
consultative process that seeks to involve all South Africans in the review and development
of new policies that will take the country forward.
The next step in policy making will be the issuing of a Discussion Paper for pubic
consultation and thereafter the gazetting of a White Paper, which spells out policy positions
of Government.
Framing
Paper
Gazetted
Green
Paper
Discussion
Paper to follow
White
Paper to follow
April 2013
The Green Paper is an invitation to stakeholders and all members of the public to comment
on policy issues and to participate in legislative reform. This document is an essential part of
the democratic process.
In this document, we review the ICT sector and pose questions at the end of each chapter.
These questions are posed to invite comment from the public.
1.2 Background to the Policy Review: Proposal for Discussion
1994, South Africa developed separate frameworks for the telecommunications,
broadcasting and postal sectors. The policy frameworks adopted assisted the country to
begin transforming the communications sector, and, for example, provided for universal
In
service and access to information and communications technologies.
All of these policies, however, acknowledged that changes in technology would require a
review of the country's policy and regulatory approaches in the future. Some steps at a
policy, institutional and regulatory level have already been taken in response to changes in
the communications sector. For example, the broadcasting and telecommunications
regulators were merged in 2000 to begin the process of streamlining the regulatory approach
to the sectors. In 2005, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)
was given the responsibility for the regulation of postal services as well. That same year,
2005, a new law, the Electronic Communications Act (no 36 of 2005) was enacted,
advancing the process of integrating the policy frameworks for the different sectors in
recognition of convergence in the communications sector.
However, South Africa has not yet taken full advantage of the possibilities and opportunities
created by the convergence and digitisation of communications technologies. The
fragmented approach adopted at the advent of democracy, does not maximize efficiencies
and in future will increasingly hamper the capacity of the sector to fulfil socio-economic
development. The silo approach to the sector needs to be reviewed so that we do not
inadvertently create a digital divide where access to quality communications services,
technologies, infrastructure and content is a privilege of the elite, rather than a right for all.
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