The 2016/17 edition of Limpopo Business is the eighth issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Limpopo province.
Limpopo is unique in terms of its abundant natural and human resources, and is also one of the key drivers behind the South African economy.
This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the Office of the Premier of Limpopo.
OVERVIEW ICT and
OVERVIEW ICT and telecommunications Connecting rural areas is a priority for Limpopo authorities. SECTOR INSIGHT Ten schools are piloting an Offline Content Solution. • The Limpopo ICT Youth Conference was held in 2015. • An ICT Centre of Excellence is to be established in 2016. Connectivity is difficult to achieve in remote rural areas, and large parts of Limpopo are rural. One way of achieving higher connectivity is to focus on schools and libraries. The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) has as its brief to provide ICT services to public and private schools, hospitals and training colleges. Limpopo is one of five provinces that USAASA concentrates on with respect to school connectivity: more than R25-million has been spent since 2010 on this project and more than 400 smart devices distributed. Private telecommunications companies also have community responsibilities in terms of the National Development Plan. They must help connect under-serviced areas to the telecommunications and Internet networks. A National Library of South Africa (NLSA) project, supported by Vodacom, will connect about 300 community libraries via VSAT and Vodacom ADSL services. The project covers South Africa’s three most rural provinces – the North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. When national libraries started using an open-source system known as Library Information Management System (LIMS), it was a good opportunity to upgrade the more remote libraries. Meso ICT Solutions was the company used by Vodacom and the NLSA to roll out the project, which will also give community members in those areas better access to the Internet (including teachers and students). Each library has 14 work stations and Vodacom can carry both fixed-line and satellite connectivity. The state is a big factor in the ICT sector, both in terms of its regulatory role, the incentives offered to companies and in terms of its own purchasing power through national departments and agencies. The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) supports a wide range of national and provincial departments and municipalities across the province, and is working on establishing a comprehensive provincial network. SITA played a role in the NLSA/LIMS project. SITA has a client base of more than 5 000 offices and offers services in WAN support, support of the provincial mainframe, ICT training and website development, among others. A SITA initiative to help all of South Africa’s LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17 64
OVERVIEW teachers obtain laptops will have an impact on the sector. South African Vanguard of Technology (Savant) is a Department of Trade and Industry (dti) programme. It is the marketing and awareness programme for the South African ICT and electronics sector. The aim is to develop South African exports and to attract foreign investment. The National Department of Communications is responsible for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA, the regulator of communications, broadcasting and postal services), the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and three other agencies. The Telkom Foundation began supporting ICT at Manyangan High School and several others like it a decade ago. Schools in rural areas were given a wireless networked e-Learning Resource Centre consisting of 20 computers, a server, a printer, all Microsoft-supplied software, insurance and a three-year maintenance plan. Internet access was included, powered by Vsat satellite technology. More than 800 young people attended the Limpopo ICT Youth Conference in 2015 where they and the owners and small and medium-sized ICT businesses shared ideas about the pitfalls and opportunities in the sector. An ICT Centre of Excellence will be established in 2016, taking into account the input of the delegates. Alternative and innovative solutions are also being followed. Ten schools have been identified by the ICT Internet Connectivity Project and the national Department of Education to pilot the Offline Content Solution. Tirelo Bosha will pay R1.4-million towards this project. Tirelo Bosha is a public service improvement grant administered by the national Department of Public Service and Administration. The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) is a programme of the National Research Foundation and supports an average of 235 projects per year. THRIP funding totals around R150-million (with approximately R240-million from industry per year) and supports initiatives that use science to bring benefits to wider society. This can relate to boosting distant rural computer literacy (as in a project in the Eastern Cape which will have relevance to Limpopo) or, for example, to scientists working at the University of Venda who have received THRIP funding relating to soil research. Intermediate computer-literacy classes are being provided at some Limpopo schools by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), and the CoZa Cares project of Uniforum SA. Maths Centre has received funding from the Citigroup Foundation to help it expand the Anglo American project for maths and science using specially developed software. ICT company Edukite Learning Services is the developer. The sponsorship includes digital tablets and projectors to be used in the training of teachers. ISPA runs courses for teachers in all parts of South Africa. Since 2004, ISPA and Uniforum SA awarded a Super Teacher of the Year award to the educator who has best imparted their newly acquired IT knowledge to pupils and members of their community when they return from these courses. These Limpopo teachers and schools were winners in 2009 (Lesibe Jimmy Rawane, Thomo Primary School), 2010 (Melia Moeketsi, Maribe Primary), 2011 (Phuthi Ragophala, Pulamadibogo Primary), 2012 (Sadike Welheminah Kekana, Toronto Secondary) and 2013 (Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba, Ngwanamago Primary School). ONLINE RESOURCES National Department of Communications: www.doc.gov.za National Department of Trade and Industry: www.thedti.gov.za National Research Foundation: www.nrf.ac.za Seda Technology Programme: www.seda.org.za South African Vanguard of Technology: www.savant.co.za Support Programme for Industrial Innovation: www.spii.co.za State Information Technology Agency: www.sita.co.za Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme: htttp://thrip.nrf.ac.za Technology Innovation Agency: www.tia.org.za 65 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17
