The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is marking the start of a “transformative process” and “is on the mend” after surpassing its performance targets for the 2015/16 financial year.

Following “urgent and drastic” interventions, the communications authority on Thursday said it had overshot its ambitious aim of achieving 60% to 65% of its yearly targets, improving the overall performance of the organisation from a “desolate” 29% in the 2014/15 financial year to a “commendable” 76.7% during the year under review.

However, Icasa is starting its new financial year still facing significant challenges and experiencing shortfalls that will become the focus of the organisation over the short to medium term.

“As we reflect on the organisation’s improved performance, we are mindful that there are still areas where we continue to fall short of the expectations of our stakeholders.

“In particular, recent campaigns around the cost of data, enforcement of toll-free regulations, the timelines for regulatory approvals and the court challenges against our decisions have put the spotlight on the issues that are of key concern to our stakeholders,” Icasa COO Willington Ngwepe explained in an update to stakeholders on Thursday.

Icasa assured that no shortcuts in decision-making or interventions would be made as it focused its attention on these and other matters over the short to medium term.

The entity has been making progress in dealing with its structural and systematic constraints and the adverse findings by the Auditor-General in the prior year.

Icasa highlighted the alignment of the organisation's strategic objectives to individual performance contracts; improving strategic planning and management of performance information; improving internal controls and supply chain management processes; better coordination of regulatory projects and activities; and completing the organisational realignment and restructuring to facilitate optimum organisational performance.

“The organisation has achieved an unqualified audit for the third consecutive year. Though the organisation has still underspent on its conditional grants, the percentage amount underspent has reduced when compared to the 2014/15 financial year,” Ngwepe pointed out.

Further, much had been done in several areas, including local content regulations, which will come into effect during 2017/18; enhanced support for innovative use of digital technologies, with the possibility of a regulatory framework for television white spaces; and the facilitation of the proliferation of South African stories and music across the national broadcast platforms.

In addition, a yearly report on the state of South Africa’s information and communication technology (ICT) was established, with the first edition of the data on key ICT sector indicators published in the 2015/16 financial year to ensure availability of reliable up to date data about the performance of the sector.

Other initiatives and activities included the completion of the licensing process for the free-to-air broadcasting television service; the publication of the Invitation to Apply for spectrum capacity in multiplex three for commercial subscription television broadcasting services; the promulgation of revised Numbering Plan Regulations; and increased consumer protection and service provision to industry.

“Even against the background of the commendable performance of 2015/16 financial year, everyone in the organisation appreciates that the real work actually starts now . . .  sustaining this level of performance will be a mammoth task and will require every single member of team Icasa to pull together,” he concluded.