The establishment of Sentech’s corporate social investment unit late last year and the appointment of Maureen Mphatsoe as manager, signals the company’s commitment to provide technical and other support for the burgeoning information and communication sector.
This comes barely five years after its sepa-ration from the SABC and its licensing as a public signal distributor for the broadcasting sector.
However, Sentech’s social investment programmes have been in operation for the past 10 years, following the rise of the community radio sector. Many of these radio stations struggled to operate and maintain their transmission facilities, and could not afford the astronomical costs involved in the distribution of broadcasting signals.
With the introduction of new communication technologies and the licensing of services including multimedia, Sentech appears to be securing its niche in using its vast hi-tech infrastructure to address the diverse social and economic needs of South African communities.
Joseph Claassen, corporate affairs senior manager, was not able to quantify the amounts Sentech spends on social investment.
He says that the establishment of a dedicated unit for this portfolio, providing support in information and communication technologies (ICT), was a logical move as a means of providing skills and technical support to communities.
Sentech’s focus is on training and awareness in ICTs, support for HIV perinatal research, fighting unemployment and supporting community multi-purpose centres and the community radio sector.
Sentech subsidiary Infosat, a supplier of satellite Internet solutions, provided Internet access to Myeka High School in KwaZulu-Natal as part of an initiative to uplift disadvantaged rural schools. The service provider is a sponsor in this social awareness project that will eventually result in the first effective distance learning-via-satellite system in South Africa.
In response to an online appeal for a cost-sensitive electronic communications infrastructure, the University of the Witwatersrand’s perinatal HIV research unit has been aided by donations from local companies. InfoSat will, for an initial 12-month period, sponsor a full 128-kilobyte leased line, e-mail and a remote access server. In addition, free website development, hosting and mainten-ance will be provided by CubicICE, B2B, a marketing and communication specialist, and distributor of healthcare products Afriq Medical.
Situated at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, the perinatal HIV research unit is a wide-ranging Aids research centre that works in collaboration with Unicef, the World Health Organisation and UNAids on policy and clinical guidelines for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. One of 11 international HIVNet sites for HIV prevention research, the unit is a leading site for clinical trials in HIV-positive adults and children and is also at the forefront of HIV vaccine research in South Africa.
Sentech also runs an in-service training programme for technicians from technikons and technical colleges, and for the unemployed who have specific qualifications. This year-long programme provides practical training and on-the-job experience.
Training occurs at the Sentech Advance School of Technology and work experience is gained at Sentech’s transmitter stations throughout South Africa.
Upon completion of the internship, students are placed within Sentech or recommended to other companies.
In another project run in conjunction with the Department of Com- munications, Sentech will be lending greater support to community radio stations by repositioning their transmitters to reach wider audiences. Sentech offers free technical advice and also helps community radio stations apply for licences.