Yesterday Parliament held its debate regarding the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2021 from the previous week. A myriad topics were touched upon as political parties pushed agendas and questioned several decisions taking by the Presidency during the past 12 months. One interesting element in the debate stood out for us, however – connectivity.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital divide came into sharper focus and those areas without access to reliable connectivity faltered, while others were able to remain sustained. This played out in a lot of South Africans not being able to work remotely effectively, as well as school children unable to learn digitally either, due to a poor level of connectivity.
It looks like government has only now realised this issue, and is aiming to revise its approach moving forward.
“Our connectivity programme has to be revised from connecting health and schools to connecting homes, therefore the Department of Communications and Digital Technology is already revising the guidelines and our approach for connectivity,” noted Small Business Development and Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
The minister framed her point around the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the fact that it is already here. We’ve heard similar rhetoric from government in the past, eulogising the need to prepare for 4IR, but the pandemic hit, and all those plans were pushed to the back burner.
While being 4IR-ready is a nice goal to have in mind, connectivity across the the country needs to take priority before we start theorising about smart cities and the like.
As Ntshavheni added, connectivity needs to become a basic service, like housing, water and electricity.
It is good to hear that the minister and her department hold this view, but it remains to be seen if it can actually follow through, especially as no precise plan has been outlined to make connectivity across the country, and particularly in underserved regions, a priority.
We only hope that the acknowledgement of South Africa’s digital divide was not simply for the benefit of those watching the SONA 2021 debate, and that Ntshavheni will detail her revised connectivity programme soon.
In the interim, businesses, learners and homes are being left behind.
