Telecommunication Centres (Tele-centres) – Innovative Development and Evaluation: A Case Study of Tombo village, Eastern Cape

Abstract: Telecommunication means in South Africa are not equally accessible to all. There are still disparities in terms of access to electronic telecommunication by people in the rural areas compared to those who live in urban areas. This situation has created a huge information gap between the rural and urban dwellers. As part of trying to bridge this information gap, the South African government has vigorously promoted the installation of telecommunication centres (telecentres, as they are known) in rural parts of the country. However, most of these telecentres are not achieving the envisaged aims and objectives. This research undertakes an evaluation of a telecentre in Tombo village of Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape Province with the aim of establishing some of the success factors for the sustainability of a telecentre. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used to gather data and a qualitative analysis of the data elucidated some of the challenges in sustaining the telecentre as a viable operation. The recommendations include: That an entrepreneurial or innovative approach must be used in order to make telecentres sustainable; vigorous means of awareness and training about the telecentre services are needed; and, the need for serious consideration of all relevant categories of stakeholders coupled with addressing socio-economic and political issues within the community must not be overlooked