Johannesburg -
The Democratic Alliance wants Public Enterprises Minister
Barbara Hogan and Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda to explain
whether Sentech is operating outside its mandate.
The DA wants the ministers to explain why state-owned
communications companies Sentech and Broadband Infraco are
competing in high-capacity international cable systems running up
Africa's west coast from South Africa to Europe, and whether
Sentech is operating outside its mandate by being involved in one
of these cable systems, spokesperson Marian Shinn said on Friday.
Broadband Infraco was the responsibility of the public
enterprises department and was involved in the government-led West
African Cable system (WACS).
Sentech was answerable to the communications department and
recently signed up to be part of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (Nepad's) African Coast to Europe (ACE) system, she
said.
Sentech had signed a landing party agreement to use its
telecommunications licence to land ACE in South Africa.
This cable system had been discussed for some years and was
previously due to land only in Nigeria.
"Involvement in installing the infrastructure of a submarine
cable is surely outside Sentech's mandate of supplying broadband
communications to South Africa's rural communities," she said.
"We question what experience Sentech has in submarine cabling
and building landing stations that bring the cables ashore, and
whether this is within the terms of its telecommunications
licence."
ACE was to be paid for by a consortium of 25 investors who had
signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nepad-created
Baharicom Development Company (BDC).
BDC was responsible for co-ordinating the construction of
Uhurunet, the submarine segment of Nepad's envisioned Africa-wide
network Umojanet.
"We also question whether South Africa, through its support of
Nepad, will be footing the bill for Sentech's involvement in ACE.
"Little is known about the funding, management and business
objectives of ACE.
"We also question how and why Sentech was chosen for the ACE
project. It has a dismal delivery record on home soil having
launched and collapsed MyWireless, VAS and BizNet services.
Unacceptable business plan
"Its government-supported task to roll-out telecommunications
infrastructure to rural areas has failed to deliver on a key
project to bridge the digital divide," she said.
In late 2007 Sentech was handed, on a plate, the task of
rolling-out an affordable broadband infrastructure solution for 500
Dinaledi schools on a budget of R500m (R1m per
school).
"In reply to a parliamentary question last year the Minister of
Communications told me that the money has not been spent because
Sentech could not produce a business plan acceptable to the
National Treasury."
The fate of the Dinaledi network had not been announced.
Broadband Infraco, was involved in the WACS whose consortium
members included Telkom, Neotel, Vodacom and MTN.
"In answer to parliamentary question I asked last year the
Minister of Science and Technology said WACS would be in place to
support South Africa's bid for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
[telescope] in 2011.
"The competing ACE undersea cable is also expected to be
completed in 2011, and is the first leg of Nepad's vision of
undersea communications cables along Africa's entire coastline."
It was initially hoped to be in place for the Fifa 2010 World
Cup.
"South Africa can no longer afford the expense of perpetual
inefficiencies, duplications and turf wars of the government's
stable of communications entities.
"There needs to be clarity about their mandates and why they
continue to be managed by separate departments," Shinn said.
- Sapa