Uniforms say Gen Nyanda is ideal communications minister

Big guns say he's OK

But this week, I have made a point of chatting to a few people in various branches of the armed forces about our new communications minister. And the opinion from those who worked with him and under him has been unanimous and overwhelmingly positive.

Some very high ranking officers in the army, air force and navy, some of whom who served with him in positions such as his chief of staff, insist that his appointment to the cabinet came as no surprise and even less of a surprise when they saw he was given the communications portfolio.

Interestingly, it wasn't just black officers who were speaking so highly of him, but all of the white ones I spoke to as well.

Gen Nyanda turns 59 this coming Friday and his former colleagues in the armed forces say that he is someone who listens and considers his options very carefully. He trained as a journalist in his very early days and is considered to be a very clever fellow by his colleagues and to be disciplined and efficient.

Faster, cheaper, simpler Internet

They seem convinced that he will listen to the experts inside and outside of his department and will also understand the strategic importance of Internet accessibility - something in which South Africa is lagging badly by world standards.

Well, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and it should not be long before we will be able to tell whether his former colleagues were right about him or not. Let's hope they're right because it is about time we had a communications minister capable of understanding the importance of communication in modern society.