Minister Ntshavheni sets new deadline for subsidised set-top boxes

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has set a new deadline of 30 September this year, for qualifying South Africans to register for government-subsidized set-top boxes ahead of the conclusion of the country’s analogue to digital migration.

This comes after the Constitutional Court last week set aside the original deadline of 31 October 2021, in the process also effectively setting aside the 30 June deadline that was previously in place to wrap up the migration process in its entirety.

This comes on the back of a case brought by free-to-air broadcaster e.TV, which had argued in court that millions of South Africans who still hadn’t registered would be left high and dry otherwise.

The country’s apex court agreed, finding affected households weren’t given adequate opportunity to register and that the process was, as a result, tainted with procedural irrationality sending the government back to the drawing board.

The minister on Thursday afternoon briefed members of the media on the measures currently underway to give effect to the ruling.

“Tomorrow, I will publish a government gazette, a public notice of 30 September 2022 as the closing date for applications and registrations for government-subsidized set-top boxes for qualifying indigent households.”

She said this was the final deadline: “We need to clarify the following: that 31 October 2021 deadline was provisional or soft deadline as qualifying households could still apply for STBS after the switch off. However, 30 September 2022 is the final deadline, and no applications will be considered after this date.”

-EWN

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