Issued by: Ministry of Communications
25 June 2002
Chairperson
Honourable Members of this House
The bill before you today is one that passed through the assembly supported by all political parties with the objection of only one. The importance of this bill to the economy of this country cannot be underestimated. The debate around the issues covered by the bill are followed throughout the African continent and overseas.
There has been continued public debate on the matter since it passed the assembly. Despite assurance I gave that "there is no intention whatsoever to control" the use of mechanisms such as the internet which are essential for electronic commerce and transactions, perceptions persist in the media that this bill seeks to do that. We have with great patience asked for evidence of what is the nature, the form and the content of this control that government would have and to date it is not forthcoming except to say that there is a fear of government control with regard to the domain name.
Chairperson, there has been constructive engagement on this issue as there has been on the bill from its beginning. Government has a responsibility not to undermine economic development and economic processes that contribute to such development. Yet government has been accused of "attempting to wrest control from a private body" An irrational fear is instilled in the public that "South Africa faces the real threat of being disconnected from the world wide web, with indeterminable consequences for e-commerce and the general economy of this country". No factual basis is given as to why a government so eager to compete with the world, would want to do this and by what means. The fear is "dat ons magte wat die Gestapo gehad het wil hê" and that "Zimbabwe se internet drie dae af was nadat die regering probeer inmeng het". Consequently we are informed the primary/zone file has been moved outside South Africa "until the dust settled".
Madam Chairperson,
I can only say this is fear of a democratically elected government; a fear similar to that which existed pre the 1994 elections when people hoarded food, candles and the like because they believed a black government would bring huge chaos. The articulation of this fear is "tantamount to saying South Africans are not well versed with technology". To some people it is an insult to all South Africans.
Many people who have been upset by this, asked that I check how many individuals or personal names and public places were registered as domain names by the current .za administrator and whether these could be said to have been done in the public interest.
Such a check revealed that
It is this that has made people write to the select committee to say they "have confidence in both committed and patriotic South Africans, both black and white, in their ability to run South Africa's domain name".
Madam Chairperson, majority of those who have written to this house's committee are calling on us to ensure "the domain name belongs to all South Africans". They point to the mechanism that we are to put in place to ensure that the very control that is feared does not remain with private individuals who can threaten us and move the zone file as has been purported and who are accountable to no-one. The choice of an open, transparent body appointed by open and transparent public process, is to ensure accountability and resolution of any conflict.
We cannot allow ourselves to also become victims of such self-inflicted paranoia of those who are "partially South African rather than proudly South African". As our President said last week we are committed to a South Africa and Africa reborn. We cannot indefinitely continue to nurture the feelings of those who see this continent as a hopeless basket-case. We have to "move on forward into the future", as the President said. Let us not be distracted from our objective.
Even the Business Day editorial (a paper not known for radicalism and Gestapo views) of Tuesday 4th June states:
"Control of the domain names cannot belong to a select group of people who happen to be largely white. This is particularly relevant when that group has the ability to pull the plug on millions of e-mail addresses and internet sites".
Instead of being scared into subordination on these matters, we accept we must see this challenge of exclusion as an opportunity to move forward. An opportunity to let some confront their demons, and liberate themselves by breaking from the prison of their fears. We have a shared destiny. The domain name is like our national symbols. Responsibility is placed on all of us to believe in and promote the intellectual capacity of society to promote collectively ownership by South African and African people on this continent of what rightfully belongs to them.
This bill enables us to have a secure environment for electronic communications and transactions, whether these be person-to-person, business-to-business, business-to-consumer or government-to-citizens. Our suggestion is that a board for a non-profit domain name agency should be representative, drawn from those knowledgeable with the task and recommended by interested stakeholders including Namespace itself.
This bill allows for a timeframe to allow for a smooth transition to a new dispensation where those recommended by the users and important stakeholders could continue the fine tradition of efficient administering of the .za domain. But chairperson this bill is about more than that which has captured the media imagination. Today we live in a world in which all spheres of human endeavour - education, health, agriculture, etc - depends on ICTs. The centrality of these technologies in all aspects of social, economic and political life means that without them, it would be difficult for poor countries to leapfrog decades of under development.
The Bill, which I am presenting to you today, seeks to achieve exactly that by creating an enabling environment for the use of e-commerce to enhance growth in all the other sectors of the economy.
It aims to provide a platform for academia, farmers, miners, artists, craftsmen and women, government and other sectors of the society to use the Internet in trade, business transactions and communication with the rest of the world.
We believe that this Bill because of its emphasis on disadvantaged communities will go a long way in allowing rural producers to participate in international trade and commerce. It will facilitate active participation in the economy by rural men and women who are involved in arts and crafts and cannot afford transport to urban centers to market and sell their products. We envisage that e-commerce will bring a large majority of our people into the mainstream economy.
The passing of the Bill will also accelerate the implementation of e-government which will see government using the Internet to provide many of its services such as tender, identity documents, passport and licence applications. E-government will help accelerate service delivery, access to government information that helps people to help themselves in the spirit of Vukuzenzele and therefore push back the frontiers of poverty.
The technology to ensure that transactions are conducted in a secure environment have been developed by our own Mark Shuttleworth. Mechanisms to ensure this security will be implemented through the establishment of the following: the benefits. "Africa's challenges require sound and effective strategic responses to help it reinvent itself" ( Kuseni Dlamini, Business Day).
Let us rise to this challenge.
The fruit is ripe; let us pick it and eat and savor it for the benefit of ourselves and next generations. This way we can experience an Africa reborn.
THANK YOU