A spokesperson for Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri would on Monday afternoon not confirm or deny a report that she has promised not to grant a licence to stakeholders in the second network operator (SNO) until the entire process is scrutinised in a judicial review.
”The matter is sub judice,” said ministry spokesperson Donovan Cloete, declining to comment further.
Earlier, Matsepe-Casaburri released a statement condemning the report –published in Business Day newspaper on Monday morning — and saying it was ”factually incorrect”.
The newspaper stated the minister had ”given a written guarantee to avoid a court case today [Monday] with the 19% shareholder Nexus Connexion seeking an interdict to prevent the second operator from being licensed with two foreign-led groups … as participants”.
The groups were Communitel and Two Consortium.
”The agreement not to proceed before a judicial review means the country is unlikely to welcome a new competitor to Telkom this year,” the report stated.
It also quoted Nexus Connexion’s legal representative on the matter.
Matsepe-Casaburri said her ministry had ”noted with dismay statements attributed to Nexus and its legal representatives”.
”These statements published in… Business Day are factually incorrect.
”We find it quite disturbing that matters that are sub judice are canvassed through the media.”
Her department had asked the state attorney to ”take this disclosure of information through the proper legal channels, especially as government has not filed the merits of its argument”.
”What was supposed to be in the courts today was the issue of jurisdiction and not undertakings. We call on the media to exercise restraint on a matter that is still under consideration by the courts,” she said. – Sapa