Delegates want tribunal to regulate media
Four players dominate space with impunity, says ruling party
DELEGATES at the ANC national general council (NGC) want a media tribunal to be established to regulate the media because the media is “playing an opposition role”, ANC MP Jackson Mthembu said yesterday.
“Indeed the ANC has given the media (a chance) to look at itself and to introspect, including on matters of transformation.
“You know that there are four players that continue to occupy this (media) space with impunity, be it in printing or distribution.
“From where we are sitting, we don’t think the media, print in particular, has indeed respected the space they have been given by the governing party to look at itself critically.
“That is why delegates are saying, apart from all these issues, the media is also playing an ‘oppositionist’ role to the ANC and its government.
“In fact, in the NGC commission, members of the ANC said there is desirability for a tribunal. They asked why we had retreated,” he told reporters at the NGC meeting in Midrand.
Small Business Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said delegates had resolved to speed up implementation of the party’s conference resolutions, calling for the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the feasibility and desirability of a media appeals tribunal in line with the constitution.
“I think the first thing the ANC would want to make as a statement is that in that discussion, it was very clear nobody is of the opinion we must not respect the constitution of the country in as far as media freedom is concerned.
“However, with the experience of the last five years or so, the feeling is that, strongly, the ANC as a liberation movement and as a ruling party is being relegated either to the back pages or a lot of what is reported is on the side of the negative,” she said.
Regarding broadcasting infrastructure and services, Zulu said delegates urged the government to attend to the corporate governance problems bedevilling the SABC.
Asked what the intervention would entail, Mthembu said: “There are views that the SABC might have been captured by capitalism. Is it true?
“We don’t know. Why are all these negative aspects of the board and management always repeating themselves within this very important public broadcaster?
“Others are saying you have so many people and wonderful expertise (at the SABC), but do you have that expertise at the highest management level?
“Have you employed, and properly employed, people who can take charge of this R6 billion industry?
“We have been given a clear mandate by the delegates. They said we must speak to the government and stabilise the SABC. We cannot… be sitting on the sidelines and seeing all sorts of problems playing themselves out at the SABC – whether it be at management or board level.
“The ANC cannot remain aloof to the destruction of this public broadcaster,” he said.
Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele agreed that several issues were raised by dele- gates regarding the corporate instability of the SABC.
“The main issue was that we should attend to all these corporate governance issues and make sure there is stability in the management and that the SABC should focus on its core business and mandate,” he said.
A lot of what is reported is on the
negative side