Reject Infinity Media licence bid, urge groups
• Lobbyists call on Icasa to turn down Gupta-linked firm’s free-to-air broadcasting application
Lobby groups have called on the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) to reject an application by the Guptabacked Infinity Media for an Individual Commercial Free-toAir Television Broadcasting Service Licence.
In February, Icasa issued a new invitation for Infinity Media to apply after the regulator had rejected a previous application from the company and others in 2014. Infinity Media owns the former Gupta-owned news network ANN7, which will be dropped from the DStv bouquet in August.
Late in 2017, the Guptaowned Oakbay Investments sold its shareholding in Infinity Media and TNA to Lodidox and management for R450m. Oakbay vendor-financed the deals. Controversial businessman Mzwanele Manyi, a close ally of the Guptas, is the new owner.
On Tuesday, The SOS Coalition: Support Our Public Broadcaster and Media Monitoring Africa said it was important to highlight the recent scandals around Infinity Media.
“The crisis of state capture that held the attention of this country for the last year or so has effectively centred around a single family, namely the Guptas,” the groups said.
“It is alleged … that ANN7 was in close contact with the former minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, with regard to the non-encryption specification for the digital terrestrial television set-top boxes (STBs), a specification which went against ANC and Cabinet policy at that time. Parliament is, as we understand it, still investigating these issues. Further, again as we understand it, Icasa has separately been requested to conduct an inquiry into the relationship between DStv and, inter alia, ANN7,” the groups said.
“It is from this context that we believe that the state capture crises have represented the biggest political scandal since the founding of our democracy in 1994. For this reason alone, Infinity Media’s application must be rejected.”
The lobby groups said given that free-to-air television licences were granted infrequently (this will only be the second in SA’s history), and because they use public resources in the form of frequencies, it was very important to thoroughly scrutinise those applying for such licences.
“Further, whilst the provisions regarding ownership and control of broadcasting services of the Electronics Communications Act (ECA) do not apply to channels such as those broadcast by DStv, those provisions most certainly apply to Infinity Media now that it is applying for a free-to-air television licence.”
The groups also said Infinity’s application had failed to set out, in detail, the history of the effective acquisition of the shares by Manyi, who holds a 90% stake. Manyi, who also owns The New Age newspaper, did not respond to a request for comment.