The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has announced a new and final deadline of the 30th of September 2022 to apply for government set-top boxes for qualifying low-income households.
This comes after the Constitutional Court set aside the Minister’s October 31, 2021 deadline for indigent households’ application government for government set-up boxes. In addition, it annulled the Minister’s earlier decision that established the 30 June 2022 deadline for the analogue switch-off.
The Minister has yet to set a date to consult affected parties on a new cut-off date for analogue. Minister Ntshavheni says she will communicate via the Government Gazette her department’s decision to set a closing deadline for applications and registrations for government set-top boxes for the 30th of September 2022.
“Through the notice that I’m publishing tomorrow in the government gazette, I’m informing members of the public and non-indigent households who are still watching analogue televisions of my intention to switch off analogue and ask them to purchase compliant digital tv sets from the retail market and the compliant digital tv sets are identifiable through the go-digital logo.”
The Minister made it clear that the September deadline is final.
“We need to clarify the following that the 31st October 2021 deadline was a provisional or a soft deadline as qualifying households could still apply for set-top boxes after the switch off. However, the 30th September 2022 is a final deadline and no applications will be considered after this date.”
Adhering to the direction given by the Constitutional Court on the 28th June 2022 on the need to more properly consult in terms of the analogue switch-off date, the Minister indicated that would be the next move after the set-top box registrations.
“The minister will evaluate, amongst other things, the total number of new registrations against the progress with installation and commence consultations with affected parties on a new analogue switch-off date when the program of registration is proceeding.”
The Minister noted that the SABC analogue transmission had since been switched off in the provinces of the Free State, Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Adding that for the outstanding provinces of Gauteng, Western Cape, KZN and the Eastern Cape which had yet to be switched off auctioned spectrum destined for them would not be able to be released until such time the analogue switch-off took place in those provinces.
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