Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi's new advisory squad has come under fire for comprising political appointments.
The 51-member National Communications Task Team includes some controversial names, such as the SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Jimmy Manyi and Vusi Mona. Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications Gavin Davis says while it is the minister's prerogative who she appoints to her advisory team, "[Muthambi] had an opportunity to rise above partisan politics, but she didn't take it".
Also included in the team are a handful of individuals with ties to the state's broadcaster, the SABC. Muthambi says the SABC plays a crucial role in the Department of Communications' (DOC) "quest to revolutionise the way we make information accessible to our people".
The notion that the Internet will solve SA's problems, she says, is a myth. "Let us remember that Internet penetration in our broader society is no more than 5%-10%. In the era of Internet, very few pay attention to the digital divide that still exists in our country. The question of inequality is even starker and made more severe by the disempowering situation where information is accessed by the few."
Davis says the task team in itself underscores the government's "partisan approach" to communications. "It is not about empowering citizens through information. It is about putting a positive gloss on the governing party's record."
Propaganda tool?
Since its inception, the DOC has been tagged by industry observers as a "department of propaganda", although Muthambi has assured the public this is not the case.
The minister said last month the DOC would be driven by three "cardinal principles" - accessibility of information through a professional army of public sector communicators, simplification of communications to reach all people, and a culture of mutual respect between the state and the media.
Motsoeneng recently made headlines for derogatory remarks about media professionals. He feels journalists should be licensed.
One industry observer, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said whoever put the list of NCTT members together "made sure that any voices of reason would be submerged among those following the party line".
"The need for this task team only emphasises the fact that the president had no objective for the new DOC other than to control the flow of information to South Africans."
Independent telecoms researcher Samantha Perry says, on the other hand, it is "heartening" to see a few ICT experts on board Muthambi's team. "[These include] Professor Andrew Barendse (Vodacom's regulatory head and ex-regulatory head at Telkom), and Sharoda Rapeti (tech, media and telecoms at Deloitte and previously with the SABC)."
There are also media experts like SA National Editors' Forum deputy chair Makhudu Sefhara and Dr Glenda Daniels on board, she notes.
Davis says he does not have much hope that the task team will be catalytic in a positive sense. "There seems to be some good individuals on the team, but it is dominated by people with histories of partisanship and poor management skills."
Muthambi has tasked the NCTT with compiling a roadmap on the way forward for the DOC by the end of July. "I am here to listen to [NCTT members]. My remarks are not cast-in-stone policy, but are meant to provoke a discussion that can help move us forward."
The Government Communication and Information Systems had not commented by the time of publication.
Share