House Chairperson
Honourable Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mr Philly Mapulane;
Ministers and Deputy Ministers present
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Mr Boyce Maneli and members of the Portfolio Committee
Honourable Members of Parliament
The Acting Director-General of the Department, Ms Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani
Deputy Directors-General, and officials of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies
The leadership and management of the State-Owned Enterprises within the Communications and Digital Technologies portfolio
Ladies and Gentlemen joining us from various platforms

Good afternoon

Growing up as a young man in eNgcobo, in the Eastern Cape, I could never have imagined a time when my fellow villagers would be able to sit in the comfort of their homes in eCaba and watch a live budget vote debate taking place in Cape Town through their televisions, radios, and various online digital platforms. It is astounding how far the communica4ons and digital technologies have come over the years. Today, my daughter Lihle Gungubele is currently following this very debate on her mobile phone via the SABC Plus App while she's abroad - it's simply remarkable. As a ci4zen, I am happy to see this advancement in our society, and how technology has made it possible for people to stay informed, regardless of their loca4on.

As the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), our goal is to enable the digital sector to grow to its full potential while guaranteeing that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, and high-speed connectivity. To ensure an inclusive digital economy, we will massify digital skills creation and create an enabling environment that support the creation of innovative digital solutions that can be commercialised to support livelihoods.

This budget vote debate coincides with the commemoraPon of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), observed annually on May 17th worldwide since 1969. The main objective of the WTISD is to reduce the global digital divide by promoPng awareness of the socio-economic impacts of the Internet and new information and communication technologies.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is imperative that we provide policy certainty to allow growth of our digital economy. As such, we must shift from the traditional ‘one-size fit all’ regulations that sometimes inhibit innovation and global competitiveness, as well as deny agility, to new entrants and small enterprises.

Our philosophy should be to implement smarter policies and regulations that will significantly increase the sector’s growth, whilst protecting the digital sovereignty of our nation, and our inclusivity imperatives.

Honourable Members,

In his 2023 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the country’s vision of providing affordable, high-speed internet access to all. As a department, we are committed to realising this vision through various programmes and legislative interventions.

Connecting South Africa

South Africa is widely recognised as having one of the most advanced digital ecosystems in the continent. Its key features include over 300 000 kilometres of fibre distributed across the country, which is the result of significant investment by both the public and private sectors.

This country has the advantage of being connected to eight undersea cables that physically connect this continent to neighbouring continents. We want to acknowledge the landing of the 2Africa submarine cable by Vodacom in the Eastern Cape earlier this year. We also want to highlight the Equiano cable by Google, working with Telkom which will provide exponential capacity to the digital ecosystem. I recently visited its location here in the Western Cape and it is exciting to know that this cable alone will triple the internet speeds in the country and significantly reduce the cost of data.

Through our flagship programme, SA Connect, we are dedicated to bridging the digital divide by providing Wi-Fi access to communities and ensuring universal access to the internet. This year, we plan to deploy 9,900 hotspots in 16 districts across the country. We aim to reach 80% connectivity by 2024. To fund this project, we have allocated R1,3 billion.

In the previous financial year, the Department was successful in maintaining its 970 connected sites. In addition, during that period, SITA connected 781 government sites in Eastern Cape, while BBI connected 110 USAASA sites. Furthermore, the Department played an instrumental role in facilitating the development of the SA Connect draft Implementation Plan.

Our aim is to enhance connectivity to government facilities such as schools, health facilities, and government offices with high-speed internet access, which enable them to serve as connectivity hubs for their users and surrounding communities.

Complementing the SA Connect programme, SITA will launch a National Broadband Project worth at least R6 billion, that will be awarded per region and ensure that government reduces the cost and duplication of connectivity infrastructure from municipalities up to national government level.

This project must also ensure that designated groups such as enterprises owned by women and youth are empowered with at least forty percent (40%) value of this project, whilst creating opportunities for innovative locally developed solutions to find traction in our market.

It is important to note that while big business plays a significant role in driving growth and innovation, we should not overlook the potential of small start-ups to be game changers in innovation, as demonstrated by success stories like Steve jobs and Elon Musk. Lessons from Silicon Valley show that new small enterprises can become the basis for new digital “unicorns”. Therefore, inclusion is not just a moral imperative, but it is also an economic necessity.

Furthermore, I would like to add that we have witnessed significant investments in data centres and cloud services providers, which will contribute significantly to the economy by enabling efficient storage and dissemination of data, as well as access to digital solutions. The country has a total of 65 data centres, making us the leading African digital economy.

As a department, we are committed to maximising the benefits of this investment by ensuring policy certainty through launching the National Cloud and Data Policy later this year. The policy will outline guidelines for government departments to consume cloud services appropriately while adhering to data privacy and security measures agreed upon with relevant providers. This will help the government to make informed decisions and choose the best cloud services in line with our requirements and standards.

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