By Bahle Gama
Minister of ICT Princess Sikhanyiso says the National Addressing Policy will promote the development of standardized addressing infrastructure and enhance coordination among all stakeholders involved in addressing systems in the country.
This, in turn, will help ensure uniformity of the addressing infrastructure and provide an elaborate framework for the addressing system even in rural areas.
Through the representation of EBIS Director Sabelo Dlamini, the minister was speaking during the National Addressing Policy workshop held at the Hilton Garden Inn.
“The development of a National Addressing Standard is equally important as it will provide a set of guidelines and specifications that must be followed in order to ensure the enforcement of the policy and uniformity of the addressing infrastructure including unorganized settlements”, said the minister.
She further extended gratitude to the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA), which has been supporting the task team of the Eswatini project and proving technical support. Amongst the team was CRASA Head of Postal Division Brian Mwansa who is said to have experience in implementing such projects as he was heading the task team in Zambia when a project of a similar nature was rolled out.
The minister further stated how important cooperation is among all key stakeholders adding that “only by working together can we achieve our goal of establishing a National Addressing and Postcode System that is efficient, effective, and beneficial for all citizens of Eswatini. I, therefore, urge you to pay close attention to the presentations that will be delivered, make interventions, and participate actively in the discussions to follow”.
Meanwhile, Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) Chief Executive representative Director of Technical Services Thulani Fakudze said their responsibility is to bring together all stakeholders to ensure that addresses are allocated to every liSwati in all regions.
Some services and products require one to receive them in the comfort of their home, and that can only be made possible through the availability of a home address.
“We need not use certain landmarks for a homestead to be located but instead the address will allow for that home to be easily located and they get the service and assistance they need,” he said.
