Basic infrastructure such as electrical reticulation and communications, essential pillars for economic growth, have not even been planned for many deep rural communities in South Africa. Geographic location should not place limitations on access to the Internet and World Wide Web which are considered vital to the promotion of learning, training and business development in developing communities.

The CSIR, icomtek projects aim to develop and implement an innovative communications infrastructure that is independent of the state power and telecommunication utility companies and to develop capacity within the Community, with appropriate information content (health, agriculture, education) to support sustainable development in rural areas and contribute to an overall improvement in the quality of life for all people involved.

The communities will benefit from the ICT revolution by accessing information that is of specific relevance to their daily lives, their overall development process and their small business development programmes. In addition, the project provides the basis for the transfer of IT solutions for development in rural communities in South Africa.

• Research, develop and deploy a viable, alternative communications infrastructure and delivery platform utilising renewable energy
  
• Provide a communications platform for the delivery of local content (such as education, health, agricultural, tourism, SMME's, etc.), Government and private sector information services as well as for health and education applications.
  
• Develop human capacity in the rural environment following specific career paths.
  
• Identify and implement businesses opportunities in order to achieve sustainable, integrated rural development.
  
• Develop an assessment methodology for monitoring and evaluation of ICT's.
  
• Develop a replication model for the sustainability of Multi Purpose Community Centres as well as for health, education and agricultural ICT applications.

• Demonstrate the use of integrated wireless, satellite and GSM technologies utilising renewable energy;
  
• Installation of appropriate information and communications delivery platforms;
  
• The creation of local content according to community needs and in support of rural development initiatives; web-based content; telehealth applications at the clinic; CBT at schools; agricultural content transfer;
  
• Skills transfer and training (ICT technical skills, business skills, content development skills and project management skills);
  
• Monitoring, evaluation, and development of models for replication in other parts of the country, including the SADC region and Africa.

What makes this project unique is its approach to community empowerment and sustainability. Our experience in this field has led to the development of a framework that stresses the need for the integration of four key factors all contributing to local economic development, namely:

• Community participation
  
• Innovative technologies
  
• Applications related to community needs
  
• Sustainability

Innovative technologies are often required due to the lack of existing infrastructure such as electrical power and telephone lines. This requires customized solutions according to prevailing conditions and technology alternatives.

Tsilitwa does not have telephone lines but enjoys good cell phone coverage resulting in the development of an e-mail system utilizing a GSM technology. The schools headmaster and community members now enjoy their own web site www.tsilitwa.cda.co.za and e-mail addresses (e.g. mpcc@tsilitwa.cda.co.za).

The community will eventually be linked using wireless technologies to connect the schools, clinic and hospital to the ICT Hub/MPCC to form an Intranet.

• A Multi Purpose Community Centre (MPCC) providing telecentre, desk-top publishing services, training and business skills facilitation.

• A guest house specially constructed from technology enhanced local building methods and skills utilizing mud blocks and thatch
  
• A soil/cement block-making enterprise
• An auto-workshop
• A bakery using donated equipment

This has created the opportunity for distance education to nearby schools and simple "tele-health" applications to rural clinics.

Some of the community leaders have displayed a very enthusiastic response. "The visit far exceeded our expectations", said Mr Jikijela, nominee for Community Builder of the Year 2000. "The impact of the project has promoted the partnership with the cluster of schools around us and has had a positive effect on student enrolment because the students can now access PC's. The communities of Sulenkama, including the hospital, schools and police station, are also benefiting from the project, and have already received training. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the CSIR in striving for local economic development in the area".

Sustainability is the "acid test" for such projects and the HSRC are responsible for the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project. This is essential to gather the "learning" and provides an alternative way for the community to provide inputs into the project.

This framework implies an integrated approach to rural development and the need to establish consortia with diverse skills. This project consortium includes the CSIR, ARC, HSRC, Technikon Pretoria, Renewable Energies Africa and Naledi ya Afrika.

The anticipated outcome of the pilot project will be a replication model for implementation in other parts of this country and SADC communities.