STAATSKOERANT, 24 JANUARIE 2014 No. 37261 FOREWORD Minister Yunus Carrim Our last major policy review of the ICT sector took place in the first five years after our 1994 democratic elections. We had separate White Papers on telecommunications (1996) broadcasting (1998) and postal services (1998). That may be about 16 years ago in calender years, but in ICT terms it is much, much longer, given the speed and sweep of changes since then! And crucially: each of those White Papers was done largely in isolation from the other two - and yet, today, with the convergence of technologies, it is hardly possible to talk of each of these key ICT sectors separately, given their interconnections. So this Green Paper is very necessary and long overdue. It seeks to provide an overview of ICT developments in our country since 1994, sketch the current terrain, deal with changes in the ICT sector globally and raise questions about how South Africa can become a more effective knowledge economy and information society. It is utterly clear that if we are to effectively tackle our economic growth, development and jobcreation tasks, we will have to draw far more on ICT. What, the Green Paper asks, are the poicy, legislative, regulatory, institutional and other changes we have to make to ensure a more effective ICT sector that more actively contributes to economic growth? What do we have to do to ensure that we realise the vision in the National Development Plan of "a seamless information infrastructure that by 2030 will underpin a dynamic and connected vibrant information society and a knowledge economy that is more inclusive, equitable and prosperous," the Green Paper asks? ICT has huge, huge potential to reduce the inequalities in our society. But if not managed properly, it also has huge potential to increase our divisions. We have far too many divides in our country as it is. We have to use ICT to reduce the gap between the haves and havenots, between the connected and the disconnected in our society. So the digital divide is not just between the developed and developing countries, it is also, crucially, between the privileged and not-priveliged in our society. Tackling this is the responsibility of all of us, not just the government. In fact, most of the issues raised in this Green Paper, it has to be stressed, cannot be addressed by government alone. We need the active participation of business, trade unions, civil society organisations, individual experts and the public generally to respond to the issues in the Green Paper and contribute to shaping a new integrated ICT policy relevant to our country's needs. This Green Paper has not just been dropped from above by government. Many stakeholders have, rightly, been calling for a review of ICT policies for some time now. And several have also had a hand in broadly shaping the Green Paper. In December 2012 former Minister Dina Pule appointed an ICT Policy Review Panel comprising a representative range of stakeholders, under the leadership of Mr Joe Mjwara, to faciliate a review of existing policies and propose changes to them following consultations with the public. We are grateful to the Panel for the work they have done and for bearing with the pressures of these past few months to get this Green Paper out - on time! Of course, it is not a perfect Green Paper. But then which Green Paper is? And why should it be? After all, a Green Paper is primarily directed at stimulating and encouraging discussion on key issues and ensuring active public participation in shaping policy. This Green Paper certainly meets those aims. It's up to you to make the most of it. And we most certainly want you to. 3 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za 7