ANC to opt for encryption for the subsidised set-top boxes

Mbasa Gqokoma
06 February 2015

The Democratic Alliance has welcomed the African National Congress’s decision to opt for encryption for the subsidised set-top boxes.

DA MP of Telecommunications and Postal Services Marian Shinn said in a statement that the decision to encrypt puts the process of digital migration back to where it was a year ago, before President Jacob Zuma split the former Department of Communications in two. 

Shinn said there has been a legal tango, there’s been chopping and changing of laws and basically the whole program came to a standstill a year ago.

“So basically the fact that the ANC has picked this up and made a decision that we will have eruption is a move in the right direction and hopefully soon cabinet will approve this and we can go ahead with our program to produce set-top boxes for five million poor households in South Africa so that they can continue to see television programs after the digital switch over Shinn added.