In a press statement issued on Thursday (29 November 2012), Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications, Butch Steyn, said the biggest stumbling to meeting the deadlines were:
There is still no coherent plan, with timelines indicating what needs to be done, by whom and by when;
The clear lack of coordination between the entities, and although the department has established a Project Management Office, it does not seem to be up and running;
The migration and spectrum regulations have not yet been finalised by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa;
The total funding required has not been ring-fenced and in many instances will lead to delays even if the planning improves. The Department has also not yet determined how many people will be eligible for subsidised Set-Top-Boxes (STB’s) – a figure which will have serious funding implications.
“The DTT rollout has already suffered several setbacks over the past five years and any more delays are unacceptable,” Steyn said.
