(3 Minutes Read)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted investment in digital infrastructure as a key priority for his administration. Digitisation is going to be a key driver for job creation and to this end, the government plans to drive the roll-out of digital infrastructure to support higher connectivity rates as part of a broader plan to upgrade the country’s infrastructure across the board.
From the largest metros to the deepest rural areas, the South African government have a clear intention to turn the country into a construction site, as roads, bridges, houses, schools, hospitals and clinics are built, as broadband fibre is laid and as new power lines are installed, stated the President. South Africa has a unique opportunity to position the country as a major player in the digital economy and create jobs in digital services.
Juanita Clark, CEO of the Digital Council Africa, a telecoms industry association, told TechCentral that the use by the President of the word “fibre” interchangeably with construction indicates the government’s appreciation of broadband as a utility. The Digital Council Africa has been lobbying the government on this matter for years, advocating for the pre-provisioning of fibre services in new builds as a way to reduce costs and deployment times, said Clark.
According to Ramaphosa, the government plans to invest in digital identity and payments systems, too. A lack of sophistication in South Africa’s digital identity systems has led to citizens experiencing administrative hurdles when dealing with different arms of government, often having to print out and certify multiple copies of IDs whereas digital links to home affairs’ automatic biometric system could simplify these processes and eliminate the need for paper. The digitisation of public sector payments systems will improve traceability, help combat fraud and bolster South Africa’s financial intelligence ecosystem, the president said.
Digital payments also reduce the risk and cost of delivery for social services such as Sassa grant payments, helping the state save money while recipients save the time they would have used waiting in queues. The drive towards greater industrialisation through infrastructure development faces corrosive elements such as vandalism and crime. This has been a particularly thorny issue for the telecoms sector. Mobile operators – which were already spending millions to combat load shedding – have had to spend even more to protect batteries and generators from criminal syndicates. The destruction of infrastructure for no obvious economic gain is also a problem for the sector.
Ramaphosa mentioned the police department as one of the key organs of the state where digitisation is going to be critical for improving outcomes in the battle against organised crime. He said South Africa must have “capable and sophisticated” law enforcement agencies and promised to use a “data-driven” approach to identify violent crime hotspots and “inform the allocation of policing resources”
“The president refers to dealing with construction mafias – something that has caused untold complication and millions in lost revenues and even loss of life,” said Clark. “We appreciate that and in no way think it will be an easy task, but we are willing to work together to ensure that it is dealt with.
Ramaphosa also identified local government as an area that could benefit from “harnessing digital public infrastructure” as a driver of growth and inclusion through the Operation Vulindlela reform project. Operation Vulindlela is a project office in the presidency aimed at speeding up economic reforms. Red tape at local government level, as well as a lack of rationalisation in municipal regulatory requirements and process, have been a stumbling block for the telecoms sector that has led to longer lead times and cost overruns on infrastructure projects.
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The President says ‘simplifying and speeding up planning and regulatory processes can make it easier for businesses to invest and operate in a municipality, thus creating more jobs’, which hopefully indicates they will focus on removing red tape – which he specifically mentioned later – for the deployment of telecoms infrastructure. The Government must also expand access to affordable broadband and increase training for young people in digital skills, Ramaphosa said.
