New parties face battle for airtime
Icasa slices election broadcast pie
SMALL parties and new ones, such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Agang, may have to battle to get much airtime on radio and TV when serious election campaigning starts.
The established parties represented in parliament are likely to get the lion’s share.
According to draft regulations published by communications regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), all broadcasters will have to allocate one-minute slots to political parties to sell themselves to the voters. The slots will air from the moment the election date is proclaimed until the results have been announced.
The free slots — or party election broadcasts — will be aired eight times a day by each broadcaster and allocated daily to political parties according to size, representativeness and participation in the elections.
Both the EFF and Agang have cried foul, saying the proposed regulations are unfair and entrench the status quo.
In terms of the allocation formula set down by Icasa, more than 60% of the slots are likely to go to the big parties.
Icasa’s criteria for party broadcasts are:
The right of all political parties to be heard; ý Historical record; ý The number of seats parties have in the national parliament and provincial legislatures; and
The number of seats parties are contesting provincially and nationally.
This means the ANC and the Democratic Alliance will enjoy the largest share of the free airtime.
Other parties already represented in parliament and in provincial legislatures, such as the Congress of the People, Inkatha Freedom Party and the African Christian Democratic Party, will also enjoy slightly more airtime than the new kids on the block. The airtime given to Agang, the EFF and other new players will be based on the number of can- didates they field nationally and provincially next year.
The EFF’s head of policy, Floyd Shivambu, said it was unfair of Icasa to stipulate that airtime be given to political parties according to representativeness.
“All parties must be given fair coverage. It must not be about more coverage for those that are already [represented]. It will mean the broadcaster is already taking sides.”
He said the EFF would field candidates contesting all 400 seats of the National Assembly and the maximum amount of seats available in all provincial legislatures next year.
Agang spokesman Thabo Leshilo said the draft regulations were unfair and resembled the criteria that big business uses to fund political parties, which is based on the number of seats they already have.
He said this grossly disadvantaged new political entrants aiming to make a difference.
It must not be about more coverage for those already represented
“It doesn’t make sense. It entrenches the position of the parties that are already there.”
Leshilo said parties that were represented received administrative and constituency allowances to run their day-to-day affairs, campaign and even pay for adverts.
“Parties like us have to start from scratch. We have to raise funds, run an administration and contest the elections, and we don’t get those [allowances]. It favours the big boys.”
The SABC’s acting chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, said the corporation would be guided by Icasa’s final regulations next year in terms of its allocation of airtime to political parties.
Icasa spokesman Paseka Maleka said once the public process had been concluded, the authority would consider incorporating all comments and suggestions received in the final regulations before publishing them.