The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies will still decide whether it will go ahead with the analogue switch-off at the end of next month or extend the switch-off date while seeking funding for dual illumination.
This emerged when the department briefed the portfolio committee on the progress made on the analogue switch-off before the final date of December 31.
“When you look at progress done, it is clear there will be serious difficulties with proceeding with the date as there are hundreds of thousands of South Africans who are still dependent on analogue as access to television services,” Minister Solly Malatsi said.
Malatsi also said there was a need for funding of dual illumination, and stated that there has not been provision for this to happen.
“If we were to say the date should be extended, we would need to get into conversation where we find funding for dual illumination.”
He said Sentech has financial constraints and that the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa) has not made provision for funding.
“The opportunity on the table is for Usaasa and Treasury, which the department needs to fast track, to find that funding,” Malatsi said.
Malatsi noted that digital migration has experienced shortcomings that developed over time, affecting the capacity to reach the intended target of migrations that should have happened.
“We don’t want to be in a situation where we extend the date and yet don’t find the funding. We don’t want to risk leaving hundreds of thousands we have not been able to migrate.”
Deputy director-general Tinyiko Ngobeni told MPs that despite increased awareness campaigns, there were fewer indigent people coming forward to register for installation of decoders. Ngobeni said there were challenges with the data of the remaining beneficiaries to be installed due to missing or incomplete addresses of registered households and duplicates of registered households, among other things.
He also said out of the 195 transmitters remaining in August, only 21 were switched off and that left 174 transmitters to be switched off before the end of December.
Ngobeni added that dual illumination was required whenever the analogue and digital analogues were to operate simultaneously.
“Government has spent R1.23 billion for dual illumination since 2014. In the current financial year, there is no allocation for dual illumination,” he said.
The proposal was for Usaasa and the department to request the National Treasury to obtain approval that Usaasa reprioritise funds to cover dual illumination. In terms of estimation, Ngobeni said R140m was required a year.
The IFP’s Khethamabala Sithole noted with concern that the digital migration has been ongoing for 13 years with ministers coming and going.
DA MP Tsholofelo Bodlani said it was bad project planning and poor project management.
“The deadlines are self-imposed. This is a deadline (December 31) the department came up with and this is the deadline the department is to miss again,” Bodlani said.
The EFF’s Leigh-Ann Mathys said: “The people who are to suffer are the poorest of the poor. We pay millions of rands to people who are supposed to do their jobs but they are not doing their jobs.” She took a swipe at the department for not installing the decoders because they could not reach the registered people due to change of cellphone numbers.
Mathys said they could not support the analogue switch off right now and decried what she called wasteful expenditure.
Malatsi said they would take into consideration the best way to proceed, including the committee’s view.
“At this stage, with all honesty, we don’t have a definite answer where the funding would come or should we proceed with extension. This is something the department needs to wrap (our heads) around quickly,” Malatsi said.
Cape Times