Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane will take the Broadcasting Digital Migration programme to Thabong, in the Free State this week.
The Minister is expected to connect television decoders to qualifying households onto the digital grid platform on Thursday.
As the country celebrates Youth Month, Mokonyane will also take the opportunity to hand out certificates to 50 local youths trained to be installers of government decoders in Lejweleputswa.
The Department of Communications is working together with the South African Post Office to reach communities and to distribute the subsidised television decoders to qualifying households.
The department is also enlisting the support of provincial government and municipalities to encourage qualifying residents to register for this benefit.
The aim of digital migration is to release valuable spectrum which will be used to provide new services such as wireless and other broadband services.
‘’To qualify for these government-subsidised decoders, television viewing households must be earning less than R3200 per month. Additional information is available at all Post Office centres nationwide.
‘’There is an estimated 350 000 qualifying television viewing households in the Free State. To date, over 150 000 decoders have been installed in that province,’’ the department said.
The event will be held at Thabong Community Hall in Welkom. – SAnews.gov.za
