Formal complaint against SAPO lodged with ICASA

A concerned group of specialist magazine publishers has lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) against the South African Post Office (SAPO), accusing the state-owned entity of breaching its licence conditions for several years.

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Chris Yelland, spokesperson for the specialist magazine publishers, said in a statement on Thursday that this formal complaint was a precursor to a possible class action following the legal process, for damages sustained by the publishers resulting from the failure of SAPO to meet its licence conditions.

Before such class action, the publishers will follow all other avenues of due process, Yelland said.

Magazine publishers, Yelland said, would be asking ICASA to consider and review its numerous complaints against SAPO and the financial and other damage to the magazine publishing industry caused by SAPO's ongoing failure to meet its licence conditions, and to sanction SAPO accordingly.

"In terms of the relevant legislation, ICASA is tasked with the monitoring of SAPO to ensure the conditions of its licence are met, and to hear and deal with complaints against the licensee where breaches of license conditions occur," Yelland said.

This could include, Yelland said, punitive financial sanctions against SAPO, entertaining alternative licence applications to that of SAPO, considering additional licence applications to supplement the activities of SAPO, or even the removal of SAPO's licence.

Source: INET BFA, via I-Net Bridge