/ 30 June 2014

Hangouts: Carrim answers your questions

New Communications Minister Yunus Carrim took reader questions on broadband
New Communications Minister Yunus Carrim took reader questions on broadband

Communications minister Yunus Carrim says mobile costs are too high and government will host a workshop next month to address the issue.

He also announced new policy direction on local-loop unbundling will replace the one issued by former communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri in 2007.

Carrim made the announcements in a live hangout hosted by the Mail & Guardian earlier on Friday, where a number of audience members and stakeholders in the industry video-ed in to ask the minister their questions. 

Watch highlights from the discussion below:

Carrim spoke to Mail & Guardian readers earlier this year, a week after being appointed about his general take on the job. But it was still early days for the new minister after the surprise appointment. Now, a month later, Carrim came back to the M&G newsroom to tackle more difficult questions about his plans for the department. 

Watch the previous interview below:

Carrim, the former deputy minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs, replaced Pule in a surprise Cabinet reshuffle in July â€“ the fourth in President Jacob Zuma’s five years in office.

The biggest losers of the reshuffle were the former ministers of human settlements Tokyo Sexwale, co-operative governance and traditional affairs Richard Baloyi, and communications minister Pule. They were replaced by Connie September, Lechesa Tsenoli and Carrim respectively. 

See our previous live videos here.