Communications minister Solly Malatsi has replaced four board members from the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa) who vacated their posts in August.
The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Yolisa Kedama, Carmen Cupido, Rachel Kalidass and Busani Ngcaweni have been appointed as non-executive members of the interim board.
Kedama served a councillor for communications regulator Icasa for four years and was the acting chair for a year, and Cupido is an attorney with experience in the ICT sector.
“The new members bring solid experience in governance, public administration and financial oversight. Their expertise will strengthen the board’s ability to deliver on Usaasa’s mandate to promote universal access and service for all South Africans,” the statement said.
Usaasa collects funds from licensed telecommunications companies and is meant to use this money to fund the deployment of infrastructure and services in underserviced parts of the country. It has been the site of many corruption scandals since its establishment in 1996.
Last year, in one of his first major moves as communications minister, Malatsi fired two Usaasa board members, Daphne Kula-Rantho and Boitumelo Mabusela, “in a bid to restore stability and good governance at the entity”.
Read: Solly Malatsi fires two Usaasa board members
“I have removed the individuals, who are currently employed as civil servants, for failing to obtain approval and to provide evidence of permission from their employers to conduct additional remunerative work outside their official roles, as is required by law,” Malatsi said in a statement at the time. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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