Parliament, Friday, 4 September 2020 – At the beginning of the meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Communications this morning, the Chairperson Mr Boyce Maneli, extended heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ms Bontlenyana Mokhele, a former Councillor at the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
Ms Mokhele appeared, through virtual platform, before the Sub-Committee of the Portfolio Committee on Communications on 4 May 2020 for interviews. She had applied to possibly serve again, as her term, which started in April 2016, had expired.
Mr Maneli expressed shock on learning of Ms Mokhele’s passing. He described her as a hard working woman, who served diligently at the Icasa Council. May her soul rest in peace, he said.
Thereafter, the committee was briefed by ICASA on the review process of sports broadcasting regulations, current market structure and transformation, as well as an update on outstanding policy and regulatory decisions. It was also briefed on Covid-19-related issues by the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).
ICASA reported to the committee that it will require an additional three months from December 2020 to auction the currently available spectrum. This is in an effort to make up lost time and ensure that the regulator is compliant.
The MDDA, on the other hand, reported that it launched a R20 million Covid-19 emergency relief fund in March 2020, which was administered in two phases. The committee welcomed measures put in place in order to ensure that all the disbursed money was utilised for the intended purpose by print and broadcast community media.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE COMMUNICATIONS, MR BOYCE MANELI
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Name: Mr Justice Molafo
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Email: jmolafo@parliament.gov.za
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