SA media represents ‘dinner-talk of elite’

File photo: Nzimande was making closing remarks at the two-day summit hosted in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg. Photo: Thobile Mathonsi

File photo: Nzimande was making closing remarks at the two-day summit hosted in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg. Photo: Thobile Mathonsi

Published Oct 3, 2015

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Kempton Park – The SA Communist Party’s media transformation summit has called for the transformation of the media to represent the interests of the country’s majority,” general secretary, Blade Nzimande said on Saturday.

“In the last two days, we have provoked a snake and therefore we must make sure that we have the stick. That stick is our power to organise. In case comrades are not aware, some organisations and companies have issued statements right on the eve of these two days. This is our country and we represent the interests and we represent the interests of the majority of our people,” said Nzimande.

“Generally, the media in South Africa represents the interests of the elite, and dinner-talk conversations of the elite, not the overwhelming majority of our people.”

Nzimande was making closing remarks at the two-day summit hosted in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg.

He said there was a need for the Competition Commission to probe the effects of private pay-TV and its effects on media freedom and diversity.

“We must resolve that the Competition Commission must do a full investigation on private pay TV in South Africa. We know that there is a case before the competition tribunal but [this is] slightly different from that. I think we should call for an investigation by the Competition Commission into private pay-television – its state and implications for media freedom and diversity in our country,” said Nzimande.

“If it was in AfriForum’s interest, they would have called for it [the investigation] already. It should be part of our resolutions.”

Nzimande said there was a great need to “de-tribalise” SABC regional radio stations, giving them capacity to broadcast nationally.

“These are 11 official national languages, not regional languages. I must be able to listen to isiZulu or isiXhosa even when I’m in Limpopo. We should hear isiPedi in KwaDambuza [Nzimande’s hometown in Pietermaritzburg]. It’s important in terms of building a single South African nation,” he said.

Commenting on government’s spending on advertising, Nzimande said the funds should be used to nurture de-monopolisation in the media industry.

“If there was no media here, I would actually be saying how much money some of the newspapers are making out of government. There is one newspaper, which I will not mention, which I’m told is making over R5 million a week from government advertising. I don’t want to say anything more than that because it may be misinterpreted in terms of what government is doing to itself.”

Presenting the declaration of the summit, SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo said urgent steps should be taken break the monopolistic status quo in the media sector.

“Ownership of South African media is today the most concentrated in the world despite the fact that all empirical research shows that ownership concentration negatively affects democracy, diversity of perspective, and even digital access. It is incompatible with a democratic society. Urgent and decisive steps are necessary to begin the process of achieving a diversity of voices,” said Mashilo.

“The position and status of Naspers, in particular, with unrivaled cross-media reach and dominance, demands urgent attention. South African media cannot prosper while a single entity has a stronghold on its future. Breaking up the Naspers monopoly is vital and may require drastic solutions. This could include outright nationalisation or a comprehensive break-up as was imposed in the United States.”

The summit also declared that the content of the SABC was skewed towards commercial interests because of the public broadcaster’s funding model.

Regarding the remuneration of journalists, the summit said there was general “underpayment” of media personnel, particularly freelancers.

“Organising workers in the industry is, however, difficult due to liberal dominance which fosters the sub-culture between journalism and self-centredness, self-importance above all else, the celebrity persona that surrounds some journalists, inadequate solidarity among workers, as well a strong anti-union sentiment expressed by some industry owners,” Mashilo read from the resolutions of the summit.

ANA

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