iWeek 2006: Roy Padayachie, Deputy Minister, Dept of Communications

Opening Address:

Mr Padayachie addressed the opening session of the iWeek 2006. Since the advent of the Internet in South Africa, the government and ISPs played a ‘hard to get’ sort of politics. His views represent a shift from old politics to an idealistic and consultative one. The Deputy Minister gave us some feedback on the latest meeting, this past weekend, of the President’s International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development, which included Mark Shuttleworth and Esther Dyson (also speakers on this day) was part of.

Government and ISPs need to work together, in light of this, he warned of inherent “contradictions of sources”, depressing features, high cost of technologies, including Telkom’s monopoly over the Telecommunications industry and predicted some “hopes for the future”. The most important element he touched on is that South Africa should develop strategies and programs to bring about digital technologies. Secondly, the deputy minister talked about the need to increase access to ICTs in South Africa by ensuring that ICTs are effectively used and become much more affordable through both government-associated policies (for example, tariffs). The third point is that of the application of technologies, and fourthly, to raise the level of skills development, particularly in the education system, beginning at early childhood.