ATC210901: Interim report of the Portfolio Committee on Communications on the filling of four vacancies in the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Council, dated 1 September 2021

Communications and Digital Technologies

Interim report of the Portfolio Committee on Communications on the filling of four vacancies in the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Council, dated 1 September 2021

 

The Portfolio Committee on Communications (the Committee), having considered requests from the Minster of Communications and Digital Technologies to fill four vacancies in the ICASA Council, reports as follows:

 

A letter was received from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, informing the National Assembly of the resignation, with immediate effect, of Mr Zolani Kgosie Matthews, a councillor on the Council of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. In addition to the resignation of Mr Matthews, the Minister informed the Speaker of the terms of office of three other councillors that would expire on 20 September 2021 (Ms Palesa Kadi), 25 September 2021 (Advocate Dimakatso Qocha) and 31 January 2022 (Ms Thembeka Semane), respectively. The Minister requested the Speaker to initiate the recruitment process in terms of section 5(1) of the ICASA Act, to fill a vacancy that had arisen as a result of a resignation and the vacancies that would arise on the expiry of the terms of office of the three ICASA councillors.

The Committee considered the letters from the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and resolved that the Secretariat should proceed with the process of publishing an advertisement in the media calling for the nomination of persons to fill the four vacancies in the ICASA Council. The advertisement was published in all eleven South African official languages in two national newspapers, two regional newspapers and seven community media newspapers. The Committee received 71 nominations but considered only 69 nominations during shortlisting following the withdrawal of Ms Abongile Mashele and Mr Lumko Mtimde from the nomination process.

On 1 September 2021, the Committee met to consider the criteria and skills required to fill the four vacancies and unanimously resolved that the following 23 candidates be shortlisted for interviews: Mr Edmund Baloyi; Ms Dikeledi Mushi; Mr Demetrios Martinis; Ms Palesa Legoze; Ms Caroline Macharia; Mr Mpho Tsedu; Adv Dimakatso Qocha; Dr Natalie Skeepers; Mr Charles Mabuza; Ms Rossana Gell; Mr Ashraf Patel; Ms Thabisa Faye; Ms Ntombiza Sithole; Mr Musa Sello; Ms Sesethu Gqomo; Dr Pulane Molokwane; Ms Thembeka Semane; Mr Leon Louw; Ms Keletso Lefothane; Ms Nompucuko Nontombana; Ms Nokwanda Mathenjwa; Mr Thabo Makhakhe and Dr Olwethu Sipuka.

A Subcommittee of the Portfolio Committee on Communications will proceed with the interviews of the shortlisted candidates on 7, 8 and 10 September 2021 and make recommendations to the Committee, which will report to the National Assembly with its recommendations once qualification and security verifications have been concluded.