State octopus strikes again

[antowan]

Ag goeie *** nee!

This government is corrupt to the teeth. There is simply no other conclusion to deduct!

 

[dan101]

Why can't we get someone like Smuts making these kind of decisions...

 

[Nutcracker]

Well having someone like Smuts would be great, the only problem is that she does not really fit into the whole BEE plan

The chances of having someone like that is about the same as winning the current lotto

 

[McSack]

I don't think that government understand the free market.

Yes... yawn.... the joys of communism and the collective

 

[caRnAG3]

SEACOM, EASSY Landing in SA 2020

 

[bwana]

This is all for the Collective™ good of South Africa.

 

[KampfGherkin]

I can't focken believe this!

Antowan says government is corrupt.

I'd go one step further.

It's a business.

 

[dominic]

the D-G is talking absolute ****

cannot let money out of SA?....3 letters.....SBC

appalling

 

[kifoth]

So if it's common practice everywhere, where does she expect the other end of the cable to land?

I mean, if a cable has to be 51% locally controlled, it stands to reason that the most the other country where it lands can control is 49%. Or does she think these things just trail off into the ocean?

 

[bwana]

Does SAT3 even qualify?

 

[cyberbob1979]

Typical

Government wants investment and to "Liberate" the ICT sector from the Telkom Monopoly it so whole heartedly still supports.

Now it wants all the pie (notice how we majority of a cable that goes all the way up the African Continent (from one little spot at the bottom) The nerve of DoC to stipulate who can land a cable here?

If they dont get their 51% share in the cable directly, then there wont be a cable. Very "Touch Tomorrow" forward thinking. Think about all the nice VAT and other revenue taxes you could make if everyone had a cable here and you had companies/investors etc coming in and setting up shop. Let alone all the job creation (that they always murmur about) from setting up Call centers. Well, guess that doesnt factor into the equation since I can only see as far as the other side of my oak desk.

No wonder we are always labelled as "Deepest Darkest Africa" ... Deepest pockets needed to pay for your phone bill, Darkest because we dont have enough Electricity... Africa, because we "Did it Our Way!"...

 

[Conspirator]

So they allow the SeaCom consortium to sink money into the project and then, when a commitment has been made, they rock up with a pile of demands. Incredible.

 

[risingtide]

There is a hint I got from the article.

They'll just sell the "bit" of the cable thats in SA waters to Neotel or someone else, and then the bit that the DoC have jurisdiction over is wholly owned by SA companies. Which it seems like Seacomm have already done.

Most of the people in this forum seem to think that companies who invest hundreds of millions of dollars are run by a bunch of idiots who will just bumble into situations like this.

If someones invests that kind of money they will have their i's dotted and t's crossed before they start, after all, local equity and shareholding in a project is not exactly a novel demand.

 

[sabagamma]

Typical bunch of African governments. They have a population that lives on less than a dollar a day yet want to control a cable they did not even pay for. Fix the basics, that is hard work and what is needed. People need food, electricity, clean water, homes, jobs and education. Stop worrying about the internet it is a nice to have and will give you an advantage but it is not remotely necessary if you don't know where your next meal is going to come from.

If Africa wants to build a billion dollar cable, hey go for it, and when you cannot pay your debts and default on installments all they will do is buy you out or cut off your access.

Good luck SA, you struggle to fix potholes in time - just let the pros do what they do best and get out of the way.

 

[UglyKidJoe]

@ sabagamma

I see your point and I agree that there are bigger problems for the average person living in Africa than internet access. But it's a double-edged sword. Yes, fixing the underlying poverty is priority. But the cost of telecoms in SA are prohibitive to investment in the country, and is therefore stifling the economy, leaving Africa's poor even worse off.

...btw, isn't government supposed to be a non-profit organisation?

 

[ic]

So if it's common practice everywhere, where does she expect the other end of the cable to land?

I mean, if a cable has to be 51% locally controlled, it stands to reason that the most the other country where it lands can control is 49%. Or does she think these things just trail off into the ocean?

Well considering that it is fibre optic cable being discussed, and that the Grim Poisonous Ivyness Creep believes she is the source of all sunshine, it's quite possible that Shope-Mafole is considering propelling her [useless] boss off into the ocean with the other end of the cable firmly rammed up an orifice.

 

[bwana]

Well considering that it is fibre optic cable being discussed, and that the Grim Poisonous Ivyness Creep believes she is the source of all sunshine, it's quite possible that Shope-Mafole is considering propelling her [useless] boss off into the ocean with the other end of the cable firmly attached.

A'la Boodles style?

 

[krycor]

Does SAT3 even qualify?

hahaha i laugh it doesn't .. will they too have a 'Special' act to allow it? This seems like an obvious ploy to ensure infraco is SA's saviour and any other one they have a stake in.

 

[Glordit]

History repeats itself... anythin A N Y T H I N G ! run by this or other Afican countries ussaly falls to corruption and fails...

I think they should scrap ICASA & Govenment "Regulations" and just make all South African Telecoms a free market, instead of this, NO! you cant charge that its unfair! or NO! you can't use those becuase its not run buy our Govenment!! OMG! I get soo angry reading these I am about to break my PC!!!

If Telecoms was a free market by 12PM telkom & ICASA would be on the side of the road looking for new jobs but that is not going to happen, not atleast for a long... long... L O N G . . . time just my 2 cents

 

[dominic]

Does SAT3 even qualify?

there have been rumours for the last month or so that it does not, i.e. that neotel cannot land bandwidth from sat3 for this reason

neotel issued a solid no comment