A: The Internet has changed the way people communicate, find information, socialise, shop – the list is endless, for those with access to this wonderful tool. Unfortunately the structural problems created by the inequalities of the past such as illiteracy and unemployment (or more specifically being unemployable in a knowledge economy) will take some time to normalise. The Internet may not be able to address the core issue, but can accelerate the rate at which South Africans participate in the global economy.

An interesting observation is the prolific growth in the number of South African users of social networking media. While this might seem trivial to some, it has in effect destroyed the geographic barriers and timezone differences usually associated with trends moving from West to East (and vice-versa). This presents great opportunity for innovation from our creative minds to participate in solving local and global problems.

The e-commerce opportunities made possible by the Internet has transformed the way we do business. By its very nature, it creates an always-available shop front for customers from anywhere in the world.

Knowledge – this truly is the asset of the information age. I could spend hours on this topic. We need to harness the power of the Internet and technology to improve the quality of our schooling system to produce the knowledge workers required to drive the economy of the information age.

Q: What do you love the most about your job?

A: The feeling of satisfaction after connecting someone to the Internet for the first time then being able to add value to their online experience. There is quite a bit happening in the background to make this possible and getting it right is extremely rewarding.