The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has appointed Judge Thokozile Masipa as chairperson of the new five-member Complaints and Compliance Committee (CCC).
Masipa, who was a presiding judge in the 2014 trial of Oscar Pistorius for the killing of Reeva Steenkamp, will serve as the chairperson of the CCC.
She previously served as a member of the Broadcasting Monitoring and Complaints Committee, – the predecessor of CCC.
The CCC is an independent tribunal established in terms of section 17A of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act, 2000 (Act No13 of 2000) to, among others, investigate and hear, if appropriate, and make a finding on all matters referred to it by the authority; complaints received by it; and allegations of non-compliance with the Act or underlying statutes.
Furthermore, the CCC may make recommendations to the Authority to, among others, assist the regulator to achieve the objects of the ICASA Act and the underlying statutes.
The new team consisting of Masipa, Paris Mashile, Ngwako Molewa, Peter Hlapolosa and Thato Mahapa assumed duty on Friday. The previous committee’s term ended in December 2020.
“The CCC plays a critical role within ICASA in that when we receive complaints from
stakeholders (licensees and the general public), we need an independent body that
will investigate, adjudicate hear and recommend appropriate sanctions to Council for
the defaulting licensees. It is equally important in entrenching ICASA’s role as a
sector regulator, in our pursuit for sound compliance and enforcement around
prevailing laws governing the broader communications sector,” says ICASA
Chairperson, Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng.
