PROPOSAL FOR FREE WIFI TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE & TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS
“COGTA”
Free WiFi For Africa NPC, trading as Project Isizwe
NPO Registration 133-371 NPO
156 DORP STREET, STELLENBOSCH, 7600, SOUTH AFRICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. 2 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................ 3 THE DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTEXT .................................. 4 THE LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT ...................................................................... 5 THE BENEFITS OF CONNECTIVITY ........................................................................ 6 STRATEGIC GOALS OF COGTA ............................................................................. 7 HOW WILL FREE WIFI ADRESS COGTA’S STRATEGIC GOALS? ........................ 7 2
OVERVIEW
The President stated in the 2015 State of the Nation address the importance of
connectivity as a growth enabler. In today’s fast-paced, digital world, the average
South African is at a disadvantage, due to a lack of access to the Internet. There is
an enormous amount of services and information, accessible via the Internet that
supports informal learning, social inclusion and economic development that they are
excluded from. Free Internet Zones (FIZ)s offer a solution to this impasse.
Each FIZ will offer a WiFi hotspot, covering open public spaces that will allow
learners and community members to simply connect and surf using any WiFi
enabled device. Access to the Internet will bridge the digital divide, allow for 21st
Century blended learning, greatly improve communication and stimulate job creation.
The impact of this project has the potential to change the trajectory of South Africa’s
youth, building the leaders of tomorrow and encouraging them to become citizens of
the world. Keeping this in mind, it is critical to consider the developmental local
government premise of the Constitution.
3
THE DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTEXT
1
The White Paper on Local Government, 1998, defines developmental local
government as:
"...government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to
find sustainable ways to meet their social, economic and material needs and improve
the quality of their lives".
This new and broad mandate for local government is in line with the objectives for
local government set out in the Constitution (1996) (see below). It seeks to address
the apartheid legacy which "has fundamentally damaged the spatial, economic and
social environments in which people live, work, raise families and seek to fulfil their
aspirations (White Paper)”. The previous local government system led to an
extremely uneven distribution of resources and distorted, fragmented patterns of
development. The eradication of these distortions and imbalances and the poverty
which flows from them is one of the greatest challenges facing local government.
Developmental local government should adopt a strategic, creative and integrated
approach to local governance to address this challenge. It involves actively seeking
partnerships with all role-players that contribute to the development of an area including other organs of state, the private sector and communities - in order that
municipalities can fulfil their core responsibilities in a way that has a lasting and
profoundly positive impact on the quality of life of the people they serve.
1
(Quoted from the Document Democratic Local Government 2000 -‐ 2001: A Guide for Councillors, published by National Business Initiative, December 2000) 4
THE LEGAL AND POLICY CONTEXT
2
The Constitution (S152) puts in place a vision for developmental local government
and contains the objectives for developmental local government:
•
To provide democratic and accountable government for local communities
•
To ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner
•
To promote social and economic development
•
To promote a safe and healthy environment
•
To encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the
matters of local government.
In terms of the Constitution, the White Paper and the legislation flowing from it,
municipalities are required to structure and manage their administration and budgeting
and planning processes to give priority to the basic needs or the community, to
promote the social and economic development of the community and to participate in
national and provincial development programmes.
Municipalities must provide vision and leadership for all those who have a role to play
in the development of a municipality. They should lever investment and resources
and ensure integration and co-ordination between various role players. They are
henceforth directly responsible for creating conditions conducive to job creation and
must fulfil their mandate of service delivery in a way that achieves social, economic
and ecological sustainability.
2 (Quoted from the Document Democratic Local Government 2000 -‐ 2001: A Guide for Councillors, published by National Business Initiative, December 2000) 5
According to the White Paper, truly developmental local governance should ultimately
result in the following outcomes:
•
The provision of household infrastructure and services
•
The creation of liveable integrated cities, towns and rural areas
•
Local economic development
•
Community empowerment and redistribution.
Connectivity can help to address the developmental mandate of local government and
bring COGTA’s strategic goals in alignment with the President and Government’s
vision expounded in the National Development Plan.
THE BENEFITS OF CONNECTIVITY
The benefits of the Internet are of greatest value to those living in rural areas, and yet
these same citizens suffer from the slowest speeds and highest prices.
•
LED PERSPECTIVE: The World Bank estimates that for every 10% of broadband
penetration there is 1, 28% increase in GDP.
•
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION: General access to information. Engaging with citizens
in rural areas in order to ascertain service delivery priorities and gain feedback on
governance is traditionally very difficult. Internet access allows for real-time
conversations and feedback via mobile phones.
The well-documented consequences of Internet access are as follows:
6
STRATEGIC GOALS OF COGTA
The COGTA strategic goals are as follows:
1. Build the developmental state in provincial and local government
2. Strengthen accountability and clean government
3. Accelerate service delivery and support the vulnerable
4. Improve the developmental and governance capacity of traditional affairs
5. Foster development partnerships, social cohesion and community mobilization
HOW WILL FREE WIFI ADRESS COGTA’S STRATEGIC GOALS?
The deployment of Free WiFi networks addresses the above goals as follows:
1. Build the developmental state in provincial and local government
2. Strengthen accountability and clean government
Free WiFi deployment means citizens can monitor and report on governance in their area
using e-Government websites, thereby ensuring speedy response to failings, maximising
transparency, and incentivizing better behaviour at a local level. Free WiFi will promote egovernance and community participation
3. Accelerate service delivery and support the vulnerable
4. Improve the developmental and governance capacity of traditional affairs
7
Free WiFi deployments in rural areas immediately empowers citizens and assists
those that are most vulnerable in the ways described in the overview. Telecoms
infrastructure is a cornerstone of a foundation to address economic inequality, and
Free WiFi is the most viable means of bringing Internet to rural areas. As a growth
enabler connectivity will allow market participation at point of residence.
5. Foster development partnerships, social cohesion and community
mobilization
Internet access is a key factor for attracting small businesses. Free WiFi for rural areas
can stimulate economic activity, as well as engender social cohesion via social
networks such as Facebook, and engage community activism for governmental
initiatives.
The developmental mandate of local government and COGTA clearly speak to the
need for connectivity as a solution and growth enabler. Project Isizwe, a Non-Profit
Organisation, came up with an innovative solution to offer free WiFi as a basic service
and growth enabler. Project Isizwe and its approach to facilitate the establishment of
Free Internet Zones is detailed in the accompanying information. 8