Give Padayachie the space to function!

You don't need to go any further than looking at how Nyanda parted ways with his director-general Mamodupi Mohlala a few months ago. Or the SABC saga, which continues to play itself out like a problem child whose parents have just about given up and ready to call in social workers.

I feel for the new minister of communications, Roy Padayachie, not only because he has to take care of the 'problem child', but also because he has to look at the financial woes at signal distributor Sentech, which has also been dogged by poor management and mismanagement. Padayachie also has to look at the cost of ICT and communications in South Africa, which are prohibitive both for economic development and doing business.

Seems well aware of challenges

To his credit, Padayachie seems well aware of these challenges. In his first interview as minister of communications, he told ITWeb that his focus needs to shift towards developing a working partnership between the various stakeholders, such as Parliament, industry and, very importantly, the public service.

But Padayachie's biggest litmus test will be his handling of the SABC crisis, not only because the SABC is a national resource, but also because it is key towards strengthening SA's democracy. SABC News will always be a determining factor of the health of the public broadcaster, since it is in fact the face and tempo of the organisation.

No nation can claim to be completely democratic without an independent and strong public broadcaster whose sole mandate is to serve the interest of the nation. One just has to look at the SABC's coverage of what has been dubbed the "biggest cabinet reshuffle in post-apartheid South Africa".

In other democratic parts of the world, the story would have been given much prominence in primetime news, with intelligence reportage, reaction, analysis and extensive coverage. Not at our "public broadcaster". The coverage was lackadaisical and appeared hamstrung. It's almost as if the powers that be at SABC News feared reporting this major event in the history of a democratic SA. Perhaps they had not received a brief from the presidency and feared upsetting the master.

Appointments riddled with politics

Not surprising, though. The appointment of Phil Molefe as head of news was as riddled with politics as the appointment of Zuma as president of the ANC at Polokwane. When appointments are based on political jostling instead of competence, the incumbent is bound to feel obligated to dance to his master's tune.

Padayachie has never been a national minister and therefore has no track record in this regard. So it's hard to predict whether he will perform or not. But it is comforting to know that he has an understanding of the communications sector, having deputised for the late Ivy Matsepe-Casaburi from 2004 to 2009. [According to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Padayachie is a good choice: he tried to do the right things as deputy minister but was undermined by Matsepe-Casaburi and her DG. McLeod also tweeted that when he interviewed the new minister yesterday, Padayachie wanted to know how he could best engage with the media - managing ed.]

Zuma took a major risk firing Nyanda as communications minister, given the fact that it is well-known that Nyanda lobbied actively to ensure Zuma's ascendency to the country's highest office. But perhaps it was a risk well worth taking, given the importance of communications and broadcasting in the social and economic development of this country.

One can only hope that Padayachie will lead the communications ministry with the same vigour and professionalism he applied when he led the Pricing Colloquium in 2005, which led to the liberalisation of the SA telecoms market. He'll also need an enabling environment with less political interference and more professional input.

And perhaps then, and only then, will South Africans see an effectively functioning public broadcaster, with less kindergarten drama and mediocrity and more interest in serving the public.

For more:

• TechCentral: Why Padayachie is the right choice, Analysts applaud Padayachie's appointment and Padayachie looks to the private sector

For more links updated at 11.52am on 3 November 2010.