Communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is heading for a showdown with parliament over the council of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa).
In a letter to the speaker of parliament, Thandi Modise, Ndabeni-Abrahams questioned the suitability of some candidates.
The National Assembly approved a list of 10 candidates on June 5. It sent the names, in priority order, to the minister, instructing her to appoint six to vacancies on the council in terms of the Icasa Act.
But Ndabeni-Abrahams, in a letter dated June 30, rejected some of the names.
The letter said she was accepting only four and was turning down the rest because they did not have sufficient experience.
Icasa has become contested terrain as the regulatory body prepares to issue high-demand spectrum licences allowing for the rollout of 5G. The fifth-generation mobile network will provide faster and cheaper internet connections and open new competition in the multibillion-rand industry.
The minister, in her letter to Modise, said some of the candidates recommended by the members of parliament were not competent to be trusted with SA's digital economy.
"Notwithstanding what the act currently states, but I wish to bring it to your esteemed office's attention that the proposed candidates do not possess the skills set that would position the regulator to repurpose or position Icasa to effectively execute its mandate," the minister wrote.
I wish to bring it to your esteemed office's attention that the proposed candidates do not possess the skills set that would position the regulator to repurpose or position Icasa to effectively execute its mandate.
— Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
"These are: digital economy/economics, cybersecurity, trends of emerging technologies."
Modise has referred the Ndabeni letter to the portfolio committee on communications for consideration.
ANC MP Boyce Maneli, who is chair of the portfolio committee, could not be reached for comment.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said in her letter that "the current skills set [of] Icasa, including those that parliament is proposing" was limited to "finance, legal, engineering and public relations".
She did not say which names she was objecting to, but the 10 sent to her are of former acting chair of Icasa Keabetswe Modimoeng, Yolisa Kedama, Zolani Kgosietsile Matthews, Peter Zimri, Luthando Mkutumela, Charles Lewis, Amanda Cuba, Sandisiwe Ncemane, Dikeledi Mushi and Ashraf Patel.
Sources in the communications department said Modimoeng, who has been tipped to become the Icasa chair given the priority order used by parliament, was among the four accepted by Ndabeni-Abrahams.
This is in spite of the two disagreeing last year over the management of the regulator.
In April last year, Modimoeng threatened to issue summons against Ndabeni-Abrahams in the high court after the minister refused to release R450m that Modimoeng said was due to Icasa.
Other sources in parliament accused Ndabeni-Abrahams of being petty, saying she was trying to reverse decisions taken by the ANC caucus study group on communications. At the time, Ndabeni-Abrahams was suspended for violating lockdown regulations and could not attend the group's meeting.
Government insiders said the minister objected particularly to the recommendation of Cuba, a business management consultant who is related to a top executive at MTN and who has an interest in the telecoms market.
Mish Molakeng, the spokesperson for the minister, confirmed Ndabeni-Abrahams' unhappiness with some of the candidates.
"The minister has not written any letter objecting to names submitted by parliament to her," he said. "Nor was she opposed to any names submitted. However, the minister wrote to the speaker of parliament to raise concerns about the collective skills base in this list submitted, in relation to the available skills at Icasa.
The minister has not written any letter objecting to names submitted by parliament to her
— Communications ministry spokesperson Mish Molakeng
"The minister has not received any nominations of who should chair Icasa, but a list of candidates who could be appointed as councillors," Molakeng said. He did not respond to specific questions.
DA MP Phumzile van Damme said her party would not allow duly considered decisions of parliament to be reversed at the insistence of a minister.
"Those candidates, while they were not the ultimate best the country has to offer, they were the best of the applicants," said Van Damme. "It's not like parliament can't conduct oversight to ensure that they deliver on their mandate. If these people were corupt, with criminal records or whatever, then she could make that argument. But now she's busy playing politics. She's playing political football with a chapter 9 institution."
Contacted for comment on Friday, Cuba asked for questions to be sent to her but had not replied at the time of going to print.
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