ICT industry veteran Adrian Schofield, programme consultant at the Institute of Information Technology Professionals - and a past president of the organisation - has slammed the ANC’s policies on telecommunications, saying they are holding back the sector.

Speaking at the Free Market Foundation on Tuesday, Schofield criticised the ruling party for saying “good words” in its policy statements but instead focusing on “control and limitation” when turning those policies into legislation.

He criticised the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill, being developed by the department of telecoms & postal services, warning that the legislation is poorly thought through and could undermine rather than help the sector if enacted in its current form.

Sharing the same platform, Free Market Foundation executive director Leon Louw then explained why he believes the amendment bill is fundamentally flawed and outlined how it could be challenged on constitutional grounds.

The full presentations from Schofield and Louw are included in this podcast.