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ISSUE NO 61 JOBS, PEOPLE, EVENTS...

PEOPLE & JOBS

At last week’s Siyafunda Conference that looked at education in South Africa, Thami Msleku, Director General of South Africa’s Department of Education said that out of several hundred thousand Black South Africans going to university, only 3000 were taking science or maths subjects, of which only a smaller proportion will graduate. He pointed out that it would difficult to close the digital divide if this remained the case.

* The University of Natal has conferred an honorary Doctorate of Economics on Dikgang Moseneke, chairman of Telkom, for his contribution to the progress of society.

* Jeff Radebe, minister of public enterprises, has announced that Zeth Malele has been appointed as CEO of arivia.kom.

* Africa’s politicians are now making technology promises. Uganda’s Vice-President Specioza Kazibwehas promised in her manifesto to introduce computing in every model school in her constituency."I want our pupils and teachers to be computer literate", she said. To qualify for nomination, an individual must prove that he or she has at least have an advanced level certificate of education.

* Meanwhile Ghana’s Minister of Transport and Communication, Felix Owusu-Adjapong has said that government would soon subsidise computers imported into the country as part of its commitment to augment computer literacy. "The high cost of computers in the country", he noted, "poses an impediment to its widespread use and so a proposal for a waiver of duty on imported used computers is being considered by government".

* Geoff Fairall of the Computer Society of Zimbabwe catalogued the impact on Zimbabwe’s ICT of the Government’s current policies:""Sales of IT products within Zimbabwe are down because business is slowing down rapidly. What’s keeping companies going is that most of them have regionalised and are now operating in countries near Zimbabwe."

EVENTS

SOUTH AFRICAN BREAKFAST BRIEFING ON CYBERLAW

South African law firm Cheadle, Thompson and Haysom are holding a breakfast briefing on cyber law in Braamfontein on Wednesday, 20 June 2001 at 8.30 am Venue:7^th floor, Braamfontein Centre, 23 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein

It will cover: howto protect your intellectual property (domain names, copyrights, and patents), e.commerce: the issues (contracts, digital signatures, privacy, security and tax), employees’ use of the internet and exposure to liability on the internet. You need to RSVP to Nadine Nastri on 403-2765 or via e-mail on nadine@cth.co.za by Wednesday, 6 June 2001

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