Sebetela: The media darling

THAMAGA: When then president Festus Mogae took up the reins from the late Sir Ketumile Masire, a young active Boyce Sebetela ran and won the Palapye by-election.

That was in 2003. Mogae wouldn’t waste talent and created a portfolio for his Member of Parliament. Sebetela became the minister of the newly established Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology.

For the media fraternity who had for a decade, been fighting against the government’s intention to enact a law regulating the profession, Sebetela was a ray of hope when he agreed to meet and discuss the Media Bill.

Led by the Botswana chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Botswana), media activists convinced the then new minister that what was needed was self-regulation, not government control.

Sebetela not only gave the media fraternity an ear but also revived the platform for negotiations. The Media Advisory Council, an organ of the High Level Consultative Forum, was revived. Through regular meetings with the ministry, the media activists made the minister appreciate their position. Sebetela agreed to drop the Media Bill, but only if the media put something on the table. To convince colleagues in Cabinet to set aside the Media Bill, he said, “I need something to sell”. The media presented Sebetela with a self-regulatory Press Council of Botswana (PCB) and he approved.

Of course, there was resistance, strong objections coming from, especially the then vice president, Ian Khama.

Sebetela stood his ground, and went ahead and launched the PCB. During the launch at the President Hotel, Sebetela made promises that were to cost him his job, that for as long as he was the minister in charge, the Media Bill would not see the light of day.

Also, he assured the media industry not only his support but that the employees of the state-owned media, would be free to sign up to the PCB, as its existence and success depended on compliance of the media houses, the state media being the largest.

Moreover, Sebetela availed himself and government media to not only participate but also sponsor some of the industry activities. At the 2004 World Press Freedom Day at the Botswana National Productivity Centre, minister Sebetela honoured his promise where he was the guest speaker.

These actions and assurances reportedly angered some leaders who still felt the media needed government control, not to be given the power to run freely.

Sebetela was stepping on toes. Post2004 general election, he was fired, and in his place came Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi. In no time, the Media Bill was back on the table.

We were back to an acrimonious relationship between the independent media and the government. By the time ‘Mma-Moitoi’ pushed through the Media Practitioners Act (MPA) on December 28, 2008, the platform of negotiations, the Media Advisory Council had collapsed.

Now that the former minister, who fought for press freedom is now the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, the hope is that on the list of the Botswana Democratic Party election promises he brought, he would ensure the draconian piece of legislation, MPA is abolished.