The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies will undertake a three-day oversight visit to Gauteng from tomorrow, Tuesday, to Thursday, 29 January 2026, as part of its constitutional mandate to exercise oversight over entities reporting to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.
The oversight visit will assess governance, financial management, operational performance and institutional stability across key entities within the communications and digital technologies sector, including the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), the South African Universal Service and Access Agency (USAASA) and the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF), as well as the Broadband Infraco SOC Limited (BBI).
Oversight visit programme:
Tuesday, 27 January 2026 – The committee will visit the MDDA offices to engage the agency on the following focus areas:
- Governance, compliance and risk, with particular attention to audit findings, the appointment of the chief executive officer, litigation matters and governance reforms.
- Labour relations and staff engagement, focusing on staff morale and whistleblower protection.
- Operational and financial oversight, including recruitment processes, procurement practices and financial management.
Wednesday, 28 January 2026 – The committee will visit USAASA and USAF to engage on the following areas:
- Governance and institutional stability, including board functionality and executive vacancies.
- Financial management and audit outcomes, with emphasis on audit regression and remedial action plans.
- USAF operations and programme delivery, focusing on project implementation and asset management.
- Staff engagement, addressing operational realities and capacity constraints.
- Audit action plans and expenditure registers, as well as project timeliness slippage, often leading into unspent funds allocated for universal connectivity.
Thursday, 29 January 2026 – The committee will visit BBI to focus on the following:
- Financial status, governance and audit outcomes.
- Sustainability and turnaround measures.
- Engagements with the operational staff.
- SA Connect programme.
- Conduct a walkabout at the Network Operations Centre to assess infrastructure and operational readiness.
The oversight visits to these entities form part of the committee’s ongoing efforts to ensure accountability, effective governance and the efficient use of public resources within the sector.
Africa Fact: Excavations at the Malian city of Gao carried out by Cambridge University revealed glass windows. One of the finds was entitled: “Fragments of alabaster window surrounds and a piece of pink window glass, Gao 10th – 14th century.”
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Fun South African Fact: An approximate of 20% of the world’s gold is mined in South Africa.
Divine Bramble
\”Reeeelly??\” says Van.
\”Ja\”, says the larnie. \”Check, there\’s someone up front now, I\’ll show you!\”
He starts steering towards the pedestrian, grinning from ear-to-ear, then at the last second he swerves back onto the road. But he hears a terrific \’thud\’, and he glances left to see Van closing the door.
\”What the hell, man!\’ he shouts.
\”Jirrah\” says Van, \”You need to get those sights adjusted, china, If I hadn\’t opened the door, you would have missed him completely!\”