Cellular operators’ mammoth task won’t draw sympathy
In terms of the act, Vodacom, MTN and Cell C will have 12 months to get the identity number, full name, residential address, business address and a postal address for each of the 30 million customers. And they’ll have to verify the information.
Last week the parliamentary portfolio committee gave them short shrift, and despite some whingeing, or rather, passionate lobbying by the cellular companies, the public in general seems to have adopted a ho-hum sort of attitude to their pending plight.
This despite the little-realised fact that, according to the lobbying, the cellular industry seems to have been largely responsible for the unexpected surge in economic growth over the past six or so years.
As the lobbyists tell it, the industry has enabled the informal sector to thrive and given hope to millions of rural residents.
Perhaps the lack of sympathy has something to do with the excessive and byzantine prices charged by cellular companies – the sort of charges many believe held back economic growth.
Or perhaps the public is still a bit miffed by the rather muted response of the cellular companies to requests that they take some action to discourage cellphone theft by doing what they could to block those phones. Of course there was little incentive to block stolen phones, as these provided a steady and profitable flow of prepaid customers to the cellphone companies.
That said, the Rica requirements do seem a tad extreme. Perhaps to help take the sting off it all, the cellular companies should be offered tax relief for assisting home affairs and the justice department to carry out their duties.
Source: Business Report
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