Minister pledges to fix the Post Office‚ roll out broadband

A turnaround plan to fix the troubled Post Office‚ which is on its knees after a series of labour strikes‚ has been finalised and presented to Cabinet.

The plan is believed to involve the shedding of 5‚000 jobs and reducing the number of executives.

"We welcome the commitment of government to increase substantially the business with the Post Office‚" Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele said ahead of his budget vote speech in parliament‚ according to the SAgovnews website.

"The priority is the implementation (of the plan)‚ including addressing leadership issues through the appointment of the Board and capable management."

Cwele said the process to corporatise Post Bank was at an advanced state.

"The audit of the assets and liabilities of Post Office and Post Bank has been completed. Currently‚ the process is to complete the fit and proper process for the prospective candidates for board membership‚" he said.

The department and the South African Reserve Bank were working together towards finalising discussions on the Holding Company in line with the Post Bank Act‚ he added.

Meanwhile‚ government has ambitious broadband plans.

The Minister said the report of the National ICT Policy Review has been finalised. The report recommends:

•A policy on universal‚ affordable and equitable access to communication infrastructure by all South Africans‚ with universal service meaning the extension of networks to reach all South Africans‚ including those in rural areas;

•An open access policy that will reduce duplication‚ allow infrastructure sharing and direct competition away from infrastructure to services;

•A policy on the growth of the sector and local manufacturing in order for small business to thrive and to create jobs; and

•A national policy on spectrum to deal with the use and allocation of spectrum.

He said government was studying the recommendations in the report with the aim of finalising a National Integrated Policy White Paper by the end of the current financial year.

Over the next 12 months‚ the department intends to roll out broadband infrastructure to areas that President Jacob Zuma has identified.

The eight districts‚ where the department will be connecting government offices‚ schools‚ health facilities‚ police stations‚ post offices and Thusong Centres "to scalable broadband infrastructure"‚ are Vhembe in Limpopo‚ OR Tambo in the Eastern Cape‚ Umzinyathi and Umgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Gert Sibande in Mpumalanga‚ Thabo Mafutsanyana in the Free State‚ Pixley ka Seme in the Northern Cape and Dr Kenneth Kaunda in the North West.

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