MMA applauds bill withdrawal, calls for policy review

It is delighted with the commitment shown to proper consultation, review and research and the Minister and Department of Communications for engaging the public at the Bill hearings and for listening to the concerns and suggestions put forward that resulted in the withdrawal of the Bill.

It welcomes the Minister's stated intentions to review existing research on the funding options of the SABC and community media, including economic modelling exercises, as well as a review of the 1998 White Paper on Broadcasting to ensure policy and legislative alignment and consistency. These undertakings will be in the right direction for re-moulding the dire financial and governance state of the SABC into a fully fledged 'public service' broadcaster that will deliver cutting edge local content, news and current affairs for all South African citizens.

Review process critical

However it urges that these consultations critically must include a proper policy review process that adopts a corrective action approach, or else the symptoms of the SABC woes will only be temporarily remedied. The main objective of the Bill was to address the instability and challenges of the SABC, hence a "quick-fix approach" was adopted. The pillars of a proper policy review process include proper, broad-based meaningful consultation with members of the public, research, planning and economic costing.

"Quick-fix" policy processes and remedies are a disservice to the South African public. The power and importance of the broadcasting sector as a public service as well as the institutional role of the SABC in realising citizen's constitutional rights to receive and impart information cannot be underestimated. In the age of digitalization, public service broadcasting occupies a fundamental space in providing South Africans with quality and diverse programming that will provide content for citizens rather then consumers.

In his first media briefing, the Minister of Communications (Roy Padayachie, 11 November 2010) expressed the desire for the DOC to "understand and implement a culture of public service that is selfless and capable of sacrifice, knowing where people live, what they want and be ever ready to commit to delivery of the best service our people want".

The withdrawal of the Public Service Broadcasting Bill has certainly taken strides in serving the public and shown the seriousness of this commitment to delivering a public service that engages with the needs and concerns of the citizens. MMA urges the Minister and Department to ensure that a comprehensive policy review process is undertaken, as a means of restoring credibility, trust and a sense of public ownership of the SABC and the delivery of a crucial public service by the broadcasting sector as a whole.