Programme Director
Chairs of the Parliamentary Committees on Communications, Mr Eric Kholwane and Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprises, Ms Malesane Priscilla Themba Chair of ICASA, Dr. Stephen Ncube
Representative from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
Director General of the Department of Communications, Ms Rosey Sekese
Board members and station managers from the community radio sector
Executives of the various local Broadcasting Organisations
Colleagues from other government departments and state-owned enterprises
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is wonderful to be here this morning. Let me afford you a warm welcome on behalf of the Department of Communications and our various stakeholders. Community radio is the heartbeat of our nation. It is the true voice of the people.
Long before social networking and social media became fashionable Community Radio connected people in neighbourhoods across our country. Community Radio allowed them to speak, listen, cajole and console each other. They allowed the public to take control of the public sphere.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The first community radio licence was granted in 1994 to Radio Maritzburg; other stations others such as Radio Bushbuckridge and Radio Zibonele soon followed in its footsteps.
For South Africans who were previously limited to a choice of mostly apartheid era stations, this was a breath of fresh air.
Let me remind you what the Comtask Report of 1996 had to say about the potential of Community Radio:
“The lack of a culture of free flowing information in South Africa is hindered by a number of factors. The print media does not reach the majority of the population. Communications infrastructure and public infrastructure has ignored many millions of the urban poor and rural masses. Information is both a right and an essential ingredient in economic development.
Without an extension of access to information, South Africa will be unable to generate sustained growth to meet the developmental needs of its population.”
The Comtask Report recognised the importance of community radio and recommended support for community media. Which is why from those humble beginnings we today have over 150 community radio stations with over 8 million listeners. Even then, the crucial role of community radio in fostering economic development was recognised. As we gather over the next two days I hope that this imperative function of community radio is not lost in our discussions.
The uniqueness of community radio was further expounded in the 1998 White Paper on Broadcasting. Let me paraphrase:
“Community broadcasting, of which community radio is part, must provide a distinct broadcasting service dealing specifically with community issues that are normally not addressed by other broadcasting services in a particular region.”
In realising this policy objective, we should perhaps borrow from the words of the Father of the Chinese Revolution, Chairman Mao-Tse Tung, who wrote:
“Our point of departure is to serve the people whole-heartedly and never for a moment divorce ourselves from the masses, to proceed in all cases from the interest of the people and not from one-self-interest or from the interests of a small group,…All our cadres, whatever their rank, are the servants of the people, and whatever we do is to serve the people…our duty is to hold ourselves responsible to the people”.
Chairman Mao’s words provide not only guidance to our conference discussions in the next two days. They are essentially, about why community radio exists in South Africa.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Community radio sector exists to serve the communities. This is a sector that is close to the heart of the South African government as evidenced by the huge Community Support programme in the Department of Communications.
The establishment of two entities dedicated to support the sector, the Media Diversity and Development Agency (MDDA) and the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) are further proof of our commitment to Community Radio.
Legislatively, we have provided a simplified licensing process to ensure that licences in the sector are easily obtainable so as to facilitate access by communities.
Comparatively, our community radio support as government, (both direct and indirect), remains unrivalled in the world, including in first world economies.
As government, this underlines the degree to which we value the sector as a strategic means to build the vehicles through which development communication in and between communities can occur.
We are however, deeply worried that despite this massive investment, this sector is as wobbly as ever. Board members and station managers continue to bicker; funds invested in the stations are not accounted for, and the communities which the stations are intended to serve are never informed about the stations’ activities, be it financial and/or otherwise.
We need to remember that community radio belongs to the community. The White Paper on Broadcasting reiterates that:
“Community broadcasting must be for the community by the community, through the community. It must truly represent all of the people in the community in ownership and control and decision making.”
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The collapse of a corporate governance culture in the sector, which motivated the hosting of this conference, is of major concern to us.
Our concern is not only motivated by the massive amount of public funds that we have invested over the years and continue to invest in the sector.
Firstly, as this problem persists, the communities that these stations are intended to serve are adversely affected.
Secondly, as chronicled in the ‘Jabulani! Freedom of the airwaves memoirs’, community radio is an outcome of selfless struggles that our people waged intensely against the apartheid government supported by the global community.
It has become synonymous with these struggles. In fact, community radio continued to become a major talking point during the CODESA negotiations and the build-up to a democratic dispensation in 1993.
Therefore, the failure of the sector to perform in accordance with community expectations undermines these struggles.
This is important as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the selfless struggles in the country as led by the African National Congress.
Station managers,
South Africa has in the last 4 years been engulfed by xenophobic attacks and service delivery protest. While these challenges occurred, the question is what has been the role of community radio in ensuring that our communities are well-informed about these challenges?
How many community stations have utilised the content production support provided by the department to create programming that addresses these issues, particularly in educating their communities about their rights in respect of these matters?
Last month, the country celebrated Women’s Month.
How many community stations adjusted their programming in response to this issue of national importance?
September is Heritage month – a month in which we recognise and celebrate our diverse identities as South Africans. What has the community radio sector done to raise awareness about this matter in their own communities?
These are fundamental questions that we need to address as we deal with corporate governance at the stations because they touch on a primary governance matter regarding the raison d’etre for community radio in South Africa.
Our attention to these questions is overshadowed by bickering driven by self-interest and detachment from our communities.
Good governance, which is a prerequisite for the success of community radio stations, is missing.
Distinguished guests,
As a department, we are elated that you could join us to discuss ways in which corporate governance can be restored in the sector for the benefit of communities. These communities rely heavily on these stations for their education, information and entertainment needs.
We are looking forward to the outcome of this Indaba so that collectively we can map out a sustainable way forward for this sector that is at the coalface of development communication.
Despite the challenges confronting us, we will not tire in our effort to support this sector. We appeal to all of you to join us in this important journey that is in the interest of improving the lives of our communities.
As the Comtask Report indicated community radio plays a vital role in addressing what is today one of government’s five priorities, job creation and economic development.
This is in addition to the other priorities of education and skills development, healthcare, rural development, and the fight against crime and corruption. It is vital that community radio is able to fulfill its potential in this area and be a catalyst for attaining these priorities.
Finally, we appreciate the presence of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications, who under the leadership of Honourable Eric Skhumbuzo Kholwane, have criss-crossed the entire country as part of their oversight responsibilities.
The committee’s oversight report, has indeed kept us on our toes to account for the funds we spent on the sector. As this pressure to account is exerted on us, we will ensure that it is percolated to the sector as the beneficiary of the funds. We all have to take full responsibility.
We have learnt that financial support alone cannot sustain the sector. It has to be anchored in a strong corporate governance culture evidenced through strict adherence to policy mandate and reporting and accounting to our communities at all time.
I wish you well in your deliberations.
I thank you!!
