SPECIAL PROJECTS

A dedicated professional, education-driven executive, Yolisa Kedama spent most of her career in the ICT policy and regulation environment, specifically Radio Frequency Spectrum Management. She believed and still believes that this invisible resource (radio frequency) has the ability to change the lives of those marginalized by bringing connectivity and, inversely knowledge and information to the most rural communities in South Africa.

Yolisa started her career in 1999 as an Engineer at the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). During the early years of her career, she advanced quickly to management positions where, from 2001 to 2006, she held the Spectrum Manager position at Transtel and returned to ICASA between 2008 to 2014 as a Spectrum Licensing Manager.

At ICASA, she managed various projects, including the formulation and implementation of the spectrum licensing fees using the Administrative Incentive Pricing (AIP) model and also managed a project on the Invitation to Apply (ITA) for the licensing of high-demand spectrum, an important project aimed at expanding South Africa’s broadband capacity.

During this period, she pursued her Master in ICT Policy and Regulation degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. The research topic for her research focused on exploring the Advantages and Disadvantages of the wholesale open access (today referred to as WOAN). Whilst busy with her Master’s degree, she co-authored a paper on “Regulating radio-frequency spectrum for the digital economy: Issues of economic regulation for the electronic communications sector”.

In 2014, she moved to Transnet as a Manager for Telecoms Regulatory, where she was responsible for Spectrum Management and facilities leasing for the Transnet telecoms network facilities.

She left Transnet in 2015 to pursue other business interests and became a Director at Ziko Business Solutions Pty. Ltd. During that period, she got involved in research and co-authored a paper on “The state of Digital Tech Hubs in South Africa through Wits University for Open African Innovation Research project. In 2017, she joined Telkom as an Executive: Technical Regulations responsible for network facilities and numbering. In addition, Yolisa’s responsibilities were strategy formulation and providing strategic advice on regulatory matters as they relate to network facilities and numbers.

Educated in South Africa, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Fort Hare, majoring in Applied Mathematics and Chemistry. She further completed a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering with Cape Peninsula University of Technology, completed certificates in Financial Management and Project Management Programmes both from the University of South Africa (UNISA). She then later graduated with a Master of Management in the field of ICT Policy and Regulation (MM-ICT PR) at the University of Witwatersrand.

Yolisa returned to ICASA from September 2020 until September 2024 as a member of Council. She also served as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, and the Complaints and Compliance Committee (CCC – the Tribunal) which were both committees of Council. Council is the highest decision-making body regulating the Broadcasting, Postal and Electronic Communications sectors in South Africa. Councillors have a 4-year term with the regulator and for one year, from April 2023

until March 2024, Yolisa was the Acting Chairperson, taking responsibility for all the functions of the Chairperson of the regulator as required by law, the ICASA Act.

Throughout her career, Yolisa has engaged with different stakeholders within the Information communications and technology (ICT) industry and also engaged in key projects deliberating on matters of policy, research and regulations pertaining to the sphere of ICT.

Beyond her regulatory work, Yolisa was a Director of TFR Training Institute involved in projects with a special focus on empowering rural schools and rural SMMEs.