Business

Communications and digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)

It’s year-end, and I find myself in front of my laptop, trying to assess the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ (DCDT) performance. I’m stumped. There was genuine hope and anticipation when the Democratic Alliance’s Solly Malatsi took over as political principal last July, succeeding Mondli Gungubele, who moved into the deputy minister role. Observers welcomed Malatsi’s appointment, expecting a fresh, tech-focused perspective for a department long plagued by leadership instability and sluggish progress on key ICT initiatives.

The DCDT oversees 11 entities, including beleaguered institutions like the South African Post Office, the SABC, and government IT procurement agency SITA. Malatsi laid out bold and ambitious plans aimed at modernising the department and aligning it with evolving technologies. He outlined business-centric strategies to support struggling entities and acknowledged governance challenges, pledging to restore stability and appoint permanent executives to lead these organisations.