Chairperson and hon Minister, I must say I'm acting as a carbon copy of my colleague who serves on this committee.
Let me say, though, that the IFP is not a novice when it comes to government. My leader served in both the Mandela and Mbeki administrations and made valuable contributions that have never been communicated to the public. How sad.
While talking about government communication, I must acknowledge the words of the leader of the Chinese Revolution, Mao Tse-tung, who said that those who do not go to the people must not have any right to speak. So, yes, the IFP acknowledges the right of our government to interact with its citizenry.
NeBhayibheli liyasho ukuthi isizwe sami siyawubhubha ngenxa yokuswela ulwazi. [Even the Bible says that "my people perish because of lack of knowledge".]
We, as the opposition, must remain ever vigilant because, as the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Now, let me just tease out a few of these elements of communication against which we must be vigilant. One of them is the content of communication - the content of what government communicates must be accurate and nonpropagandistic. Now, when I say what we communicate must be accurate, it is very important, because if there is no synergy between what government communicates and what the people on the ground experience, then it is a recipe for disaster.
Those who are of my age will remember that publication by the Nationalist government called Intuthuko. It was a Zulu version of a magazine that was published by the Nationalist government. It was so propagandistic and so glossy that it destroyed itself. In fact, I remember, as a high-school student, burning that magazine, because it did not speak to what we were experiencing on the ground. You must be careful of that.
Let us take another element of this. [Interjections.] It is unparliamentary to say "shut up". [Laughter.]
Order, hon members! Continue, hon member.
Another element of communication is the form of communication that the government has adopted, called "izimbizo". In fact, I am using that term in its watered-down meaning because, as an Nguni, I am not supposed to use the term "izimbizo" glibly. It is only reserved for the king, but let me use it anyway.
The government has resorted to calling izimbizo, which is good, but what has happened? These izimbizo have turned into political rallies, and they have become very partisan. How do you explain the fact that I'm a Member of Parliament down in Ingwavuma, but when government calls an imbizo, nobody is informed. Why is it that only those who belong to a certain political party will know about that imbizo? [Interjections.] That is wrong; that is unacceptable. You must correct it.
We should also discuss the money that is used to advertise what government does. We mustn't pick and choose. We might not be selective about the newspapers that we are using. [Interjections.] No, no, I mustn't open my ears; I must open my mind. You must also open your mind.
Now, what we are saying, Chairperson, is that whilst we support the right of government to communicate with the people, it must be done correctly, so that we who do not belong to the ruling party don't begrudge you for being the governing party.
What we are saying is that the money that you use is not ANC money, but government money. I, as a South African citizen, must also benefit from the money that is being used. [Applause.]
Chairperson, there is one thing that I want to remark on as far as some of my colleagues are concerned ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, the chief executive officer and contingent, chairperson of the committee, hon Members of Parliament, captains of industry, special and distinguished guests, my fellow countrymen and women, the honour has been bestowed upon me to brief all present here today and those who are watching from their homes, offices and in different viewing centres countrywide and to give an overview of the Budget Vote and Brand SA under Budget Vote 1, which we will be voting on today.
My address to this House will give a synopsis of the GCIS and the strides taken to ensure the effective and efficient communication of government's work to the South African public.
On 18 May 1998, during the Communications Budget Vote, the GCIS was born. It will be exactly 14 years old in eight days from today. The GCIS was established in terms of section 239 of the Constitution and as a strategic unit in the Presidency in terms of section 7 of the Public Service Act of 1994. In line with the GCIS mandate, I say that this government is communicating with its people as a democratic nation in which the voice of our people should be heard. As South Africans, this is what we strive for, and as Pixley ka Isaka Seme said:
There is today, among all races and men, a general desire for progress and co-operation, because co-operation will facilitate and secure progress.
One cannot separate the words "co-operation" and "communication" because to receive the purest sense of either, they must be working together.
Most of us are aware ...
... nangona ulutsha lwethu lumane ludinga ukukhunjuzwa. [... whereas our youth need to be always reminded.] Pre-1994, government had created a culture of secrecy by restricting media from exposing corruption and mismanagement, which often led to the wrong information being disclosed to the public. The promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa ensured that this principle was enforced by sections 16(1) and 16(2).
In his state of the nation address, the President announced the need to deal decisively with the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality. The GCIS proudly does its part in redressing these issues through initiatives like the National Communication Strategy Framework, engagement with the media, training government communicators, the Vukuzenzele newspaper and the Thusong Service Centres. These humble services serve civil society and government in the war on social ills and, yes, Mr President, South Africa is equal to the task at hand.
Big strides have been taken by this government department since its introduction into government. More and more citizens of South Africa are now exposed to government services because of the work done by the GCIS. The Vukuzenzele newspaper is published in Braille, in audio, in English and in other official South African languages. There are Thusong Service Centres in the most remote areas, ensuring that citizens have access to social security amenities.
Lufikile uphuhliso ebantwini, iinkonzo ziza kubo emakhaya. [People are enjoying development; services are delivered directly to them.]
To ensure quality service delivery and productivity in its field, the GCIS adheres to strict guidelines in its code of conduct. This was put to the test in the recent oversight visits undertaken by the committee in 2011 and 2012.
With regard to service delivery nationwide, the committee furthermore endeavours to finalise the nationwide oversight by visiting Gauteng and North West province during this parliamentary term.
The mandate of the GCIS is to provide strategic leadership in government communications and co-ordinate a government-wide communications system that ensures the public is continuously informed of government programmes and policies in a manner that will improve their lives.
The GCIS requires the full functioning and running of four programmes, namely Administration, Communication and Content Management, Government and Stakeholder Engagement, and the Communication Service Agency. The sum total of their budget is R429 million.
The ANC supports the Budget Vote. The DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY - PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION: Thank you, Chairperson. That is a very long title. It feels as if I'm delivering my maiden speech in this Parliament of the people because this is my first Budget Vote as the Deputy Minister for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Administration in the Presidency. However, I am not. This is not the first time.
Chairperson, last week on 2 May 2012, the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day. This arose from a declaration that was adopted by the Southern African Development Community in Namibia in 1991, calling for the observation and celebration of World Press Freedom Day. Experts, commentators, analysts, governments and civil society in general will pause and reflect on the freedom of the press.
I know that in South Africa, the current debate on the Protection of Information Bill has raised the alarm in that we, as government, may intend stifling the media and curtailing its freedom.
In the struggle we fought for freedom of the press, and as government we remain committed to that freedom. How can we then today muzzle the media? The arguments and the debate should be on matters of self-regulation and independent regulation, and on protection of state information against peddlers, as is the case today. The world is changing; we have to adapt and change.
Democracy and freedom do have rules and have to be governed. The rights we enjoy today have limitations, as dictated by the Constitution. I look around me and I can say with pride that South Africa remains one of those countries in which journalists and the media enjoy all the basic rights to perform their professional duties without fear or prejudice under the ANC government. [Applause.]
As for the matters in the Protection of Information Bill, I am confident that, as South Africans, we will find solutions through our robust and vibrant debates, as we always do. We will definitely find each other one day.
On the matter of the media tribunal versus self-regulation or independent regulation, the debate still goes on. While acknowledging the good work done by the panel on the Press Freedom Commission, we nonetheless should expand the matter through parliamentary processes to include ordinary people who could not submit their views to that particular commission. When the media reports about them, they also are affected and their voice must be heard through the parliamentary processes.
When considering Budget Vote No 9 of 2012-2013, for the GCIS, we should ensure that this matter is engaged and debated. The MDDA, which gets its budget from this Vote, has that particular mandate. The agency must report on progress made and, arising from that, it must initiate a process with the relevant portfolio committee to ensure that we are able to engage one another on the matter.
Chairperson, the hon Minister has already outlined in detail programmes to be undertaken by the GCIS in this financial year. These details build in our minds a picture of an energetic, co-ordinated programme of communication across the three spheres of government.
The content of government's communication is concentrated on our five key government priorities of fighting crime, health care, economic growth and employment, education and rural development, with an added focus on our infrastructure development programme.
The government infrastructure programme is a venture that calls for continual engagement with partners who will help with the construction of major projects such as bridges, dams, railways, electricity and roads, which President Jacob Zuma called for in the state of the nation address three months ago.
The programme is a venture that will create interest among the millions of South Africans who are keen to take up the vast number of job opportunities that will result from the development of public infrastructure over the coming years. This is also a venture that will stimulate international interest and, ultimately, confidence in South Africa as a site of development that is becoming increasingly attractive to international investors and trade partners. This has to be continually communicated to international investors and thus fulfils the mandate of the GCIS of being "the pulse of communication excellence in government".
Communication engagement within government and between government, citizens and shareholder groups is another imperative driven by the GCIS. In this regard, the GCIS practises development communication by using mediated and unmediated forms of communication and building sound stakeholder relations within government and with external stakeholders.
The GCIS provides strategic leadership in the interplay between national government communication and that of provinces, in particular the communication components of premiers' offices. This is done by presenting the national communication strategy to provincial and local structures for alignment for there to be a seamless dissemination of government information countrywide.
The GCIS followed on the Local Government Turnaround Strategy in terms of municipalities in order to provide support with communication strategies and communication action plans and the establishment of stakeholder forums and newsletters. The GCIS co-ordinates programmes for public participation outreach events of political principals at national, provincial and local levels to reinforce dialogue and accountability to the citizens. The GCIS also supports the implementation of access to government information and services through Thusong Service Centres. Currently, there are 170 centres in the country. They take services deep into the rural areas, and they reached five million people last year. To maximise information and service provision, the GCIS works with departments like the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Labour, the SA Social Security Agency and other bodies to integrate and align their mobile service units.
I was in Vhembe a few weeks ago. If the people of Vhembe were sitting in the gallery today, listening to the hon Shinn, they would be disappointed because information access is a crucial and critical element in the far- flung rural areas and the furthest, remotest areas in our country. Unfortunately, our people are locked up there without access to information.
The telecommunications instruments are not yet accessible to all of them. You have said that too much money is spent on salaries, and I am responding to that particular issue. Yes, it is not yet viable for the instruments and infrastructure on the ground to reach all the people. That is why there is a bulge in salaries. We will heed that caution so that we don't continually increase salaries, but rather work on the improvement of infrastructure now so that access can be an easy element that will reduce the cost of salaries. We can achieve that.
The GCIS programme for the year ahead also acknowledges the usefulness and impact of social networks and the potential this holds for direct, two-way interaction between government and citizens. We are investigating that possibility, particularly in terms of the mobile phone technology as it seems to be within the reach of most people.
While three million South Africans enjoy access to the Internet, 47 million still do not have access to the Internet. Of the three million people enjoying access to the Internet, most of those interviewed indicated that they accessed it at work because they did not have it in their homes. Therefore, the element of access to communication is still far from being achieved. Thus the GCIS is there to play that particular critical role.
Since its establishment, the agency has made significant achievements in its infant stage. With a limited budget of just R200 million accumulating since 2004, the MDDA, which I'm speaking about, has supported more than 413 media projects throughout the length and breadth of South Africa in all the nine provinces, focusing on historically disadvantaged communities using indigenous languages.
Accumulatively, since its inception and as at 31 March 2012, the agency has trained over 1 304 people. It has provided 247 bursaries to different radio stations and print media. It has created approximately 310 direct and indirect job opportunities and empowered many people with skills that enable them to participate in the broader media and broadcasting industry.
The agency will continually focus on ensuring that all citizens can access information in a language of their choice and contribute to the transformation of media access, ownership and control patterns in South Africa. All South Africans need to support that particular agenda.
The major challenges that are faced by the MDDA include: limited funding, which we need to continually look at; declining funding for print media; the regulatory framework that governs the MDDA in terms of the regulations, which requires tax certificates and audited financials from groups that are in their formative stages; the disempowering environment in print media; the lack of skills amongst the socioeconomic groups that are targeted by the MDDA; the limited broadcasting frequency spectrum; and limited exposure of small commercial and community media to advertising revenues and marketing skills.
In this coming financial year, the MDDA is planning to support at least one community radio station per community, one community media and magazine, one commercial newspaper and magazine at each district municipality and at least one community television station in each province. We hope that the committee will support all the programmes that might be presented to it for consideration of its budget. The MDDA will conduct a study on the social impact on the community and small commercial media. The agency also plans to conduct more interventions in respect of the promotion of media literacy and the culture of reading in the rest of the other provinces. However, the challenge remains in terms of transformation.
Let me take this opportunity to thank the funding partners of the MDDA, who committed to supporting government in the implementation of the objectives of the Media Development and Diversity Agency Act. These include: the SABC, e.tv, Primedia, Kagiso Media, Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, Africa Media Entertainment, Algoa FM and OFM, M-Net, MultiChoice, Kaya FM, Capricorn FM, Y-FM, Igagasi FM, Heart 104,9 FM, Radio Pulpit and Avusa, Naspers, Caxton and Independent Newspapers Pty Ltd. We urge them to continue with their support for the noble cause of media diversity and plurality of voices and opinions. Together, we will increase the funding of the MDDA.
However, the challenges that the MDDA must really focus on include the following: media diversity, which is its mandate; ownership and control, issues on which we must engage as a portfolio committee; the elimination of gender discrimination in the media; the promotion of gender equality; the promotion of all languages with particular reference to indigenous languages; the promotion of access to information for all; improvement in respect of content for children; the working conditions and challenges of media workers; and employment equity, etc.
Chairperson, we will also have to include the following tasks: media accountability mechanisms that complement and strengthen self-regulation with independent regulation; enhancing media credibility and accountability; discouraging irresponsible reporting; promoting high standards in the media; encouraging professionalism; and strengthening our democracy. That is the role of the media as far as that particular objective is concerned.
As the Minister said, Brand SA has been moved to the new Vote in the Presidency. We urge that, as it moves there, it be given well-deserved attention in that particular area. However, the Minister has already referred to its work in the past financial year.
During the December holiday - and I did engage the board on this - I saw an advert on TV that prided itself on our achievements as a country during the 2010 World Cup. It went like this: "They thought we would not make it but we did," and the ad showed our stadia, the roads, the police, the army and happy children playing in good parks, etc. I was looking forward to seeing Brand SA coming up as the supporter of the advert, but it was Coca-Cola. We hope that Brand SA will market itself properly at the domestic level to promote our achievements, our successes, our flag, our people, our cultures, our landscape and our national anthem. In conclusion, I wish to thank Minister Chabane for his leadership and guidance, and the CEO of the GCIS, Mr Jimmy Manyi, as well as the management and staff for their dedication, energy and output.
I also want to thank the MDDA board, under the leadership of Ms Gugu Msibi; the CEO of the MDDA, Mr Lumko Mtimde; Brand SA, as it moves to another Budget Vote; its trustees, under the new chairperson, Ms Chichi Maponya; and the CEO, Miller Matola. I wish them well in their new home.
Finally, let me thank the chief of staff in my office, Ms Bonakele Dlamini; my content advisor, Ms Nomvula Mngomezulu; my private secretary, Unathi Sityata; and all the staff members in my office. I really thank you very much for your support.
We have a great story to tell. We are telling it well and must continue to tell it through the GCIS theme: "The Pulse of Communication Excellence in Government". Thanks to all of you. [Applause.]
Thank you very much, hon House Chair.
Ke rata go dirisa motsotso o go dumedisa botlhe ba ba boneng go le botlhokwa go tlogela mekgaphe le ditiro tsa bona ba tla go itseela ka tsebe fa Tona le Motlatsatona ba rebola Tekanyetsokabo ya Lefapha. Ke dumedisa le mapalamente a mantle. Go tla ga lona go botlhokwa gore le tle go itseela ka tsebe gonne pela e tlhokile mogatla ka go romeletsa. Itseeleng ka tsebe bagaetsho. Sa pele fela hon Shinn, ... (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[I would like to take this opportunity to greet everyone who saw the importance of stopping what they were doing and coming to listen to the Minister and the Deputy Minister deliver the department's budget. I also greet the honourable parliamentarians. Your presence is important because you can get all the information at first hand. Please listen attentively. Firstly, hon Shinn, ...]
I think what I would like to do today will differ from what I did the day before yesterday, Tuesday. I just want to give you free education and I am not going to charge you, not even a cent, because I understand that this one was not your fault. You were not a member of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and maybe hon Mickey did not do his job well in terms of handing over.
It is important for us to hold a print media indaba because the transformation of the print media is an outcome of a joint process in the industry through the Communication Task Group, or Comtask, Report. The report was processed by Parliament, hence it remains our responsibility to monitor the implementation of its recommendations, hon Shinn.
Hon Mpontshi, I understand, but my problem with this one is that the issue of the imbizos ...
Chair, on a point of order ... [Interjections.]
I withdraw "hon Mpontshi". [Laughter.] Hon Mpontshane, on the issue of the imbizos, it is so funny that when the situation is bad and there is no service delivery, as they claimed on that side, you all blame the ANC, but when it is good, you want to share it with us. That cannot be right, hon Mpontshane.
We are the ANC, we are the leaders of this government and it wasn't given to us on a silver platter. Among the heroes who died for this government is Solomon Kalusha Mahlangu. They paid with their lives, so respect the ANC for that.
Modulasetulo o tlotlegang, ANC e amogela Tekanyetsokabo e jaaka e rebotswe ke Tona. Tona rre Chabane, kgang e ya tlhabololo le ownership ya makwalodikgang ke tlhoba boroko mo set?habeng. Re santse re itemogela kgatelelo ya bone jo: Naspers, Avusa, Caxton le Independent Group. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chair, the ANC welcomes the budget as delivered by the Minister. Minister Chabane, the issue of the development and ownership of newspapers is a nightmare for the public. There is still a monopoly by these four companies: Naspers, Avusa, Caxton and the Independent Group.]
The "big four" still dominate the entire value chain of the market, especially printing, distribution and advertising. The integration and the very market structure is perhaps the biggest barrier to market entry and potentially it shows possible anticompetitive behaviour. Other mainstream media players include Mail & Guardian and The New Age.
Go na le tse dingwe tse dinnye Tona tse di sa tseweng tsia jaaka makwalodikgang a baagi a a itemogelang kgwetlho ya matlole. Ka jalo, ga ba kgone go ka itsetsepela. Potso ke gore, Tekanyetsokabo e, e ba ama jang, e ya go ba thusa jang gore ba kgone go tsoga? Hon Shinn o tlhalositse mo puong ya gagwe ka dingwe tse re kopaneng le tsona fa re dira oversight gore gongwe go tlhokagala mokgwa mongwe wa gore ba ka thusiwa jang gore ba seke ba ikaega thata mo pusong. Tla ke neele sekao ka Bushbuckridge News ya kwa Mpumalanga.
Se se utlwisang botlhoko thata Tona, ke gore le rona re le puso re tsaya karolo mo go digeng makwalodikgang a mo gae gonne mafapha a puso ga a a dirise le fa go na le diphatlhatiro. Le rata City Press thata Tona. Go na le dipampiri tsa kwa magaeng tse re ka di dirisang gore bagaarona le bona ba bone tshono ya gore ba kgone go tsenya dikopo tsa ditiro tseo. (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.) [Minister, there are other small newspapers that are not given full consideration, like community newspapers, that experience financial challenges. Therefore, they can't sustain themselves. The question is, how does this budget affect them and how is it going to help in reviving them? Hon Shinn talked in her speech about some of the newspapers that we came across when we were doing oversight visits, explaining that they needed a method of getting help so that they could stop depending completely on government. Let me give the example of the Bushbuckridge News in Mpumalanga.
What is more heartbreaking, Minister, is that as the government we participate in killing our local newspapers because government departments don't use them, even when there are job vacancies to be advertised. You love City Press very much, Minister. There are rural newspapers that we can use so that our people will have the opportunity of applying for those vacancies.]
Hon Minister, we have observed with great concern that the apartheid behaviour patterns, which treat South Africans in an unequal and discriminatory manner, sometimes manifest in the conduct of the print media, including in content, coverage, distribution, management and opinions.
Despite denials - naturally - such attitudes and practices need to be confronted if the media is to be a mirror of the present democratic dispensation. The reality arising out of this situation is that the majority of South Africans do not have access to media that report on and project their needs, aspirations and points of view into the national discourse. The "big four" do not care for our national interests - their main focus is on profit. They even account to themselves.
Ba setse ba jele tlwae, ba tlwaetse go ikapeela ka meteme. E kete Aforikaborwa ke kwa mmapereko kwa mme-ga-a-mpone. Freedom Charter e rile batho ba tla busa, ga go bonagale Tona gore batho ba busa. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[They are used to making a lot of money only for themselves. It looks like only a few individuals should govern and make money in South Africa. The Freedom Charter said the people shall govern, but it doesn't look like the people are governing, Minister.]
The agenda of government cannot be driven by the media. If so, they must also register with the Independent Electoral Commission as a political party.
I wish to reiterate that my constituency and also my political party, the ANC, are of the view that the media need to contribute towards the building of a new society and be accountable for its actions. Also, consistent with our resolutions with reference to print media, the ANC still notes that the current form of self-regulation, as expressed in the form of the Press Ombudsman Council, is not adequate to sufficiently protect the rights of the individual citizens, community and society as a whole. The Press Ombudsman has even acknowledged before the portfolio committee that they are toothless. We welcome the report and findings of the Press Freedom Commission.
Sadly, we have also noted that the print media industry is not covered by a sectoral broad-based black economic empowerment, BBBEE, charter, or and where media houses have concluded what looks like black economic empowerment, or BEE, transactions, they have not necessarily been translated into a diversity of views. This underlies the fact that advertising profiles and key management positions remain the same.
Let me take this opportunity to applaud the MDDA for achieving unqualified audits since its inception and under the leadership of Mr Lumko Mtimde, the chief executive officer.
The portfolio committee observed during its oversight visits to KwaZulu- Natal, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga that the MDDA was really doing a good job. They have awarded grants amounting to R183,6 million to cover 407 projects and over 1 300 people were trained. The provision of 243 bursaries to different radio and print media was made. However, hon Minister, the declining funding for print media remains a serious challenge. This lack of funding is against the 2007 Limpopo resolution. The hon Minister and the Deputy Minister were there. Why is this difficult to implement, or are you afraid that that side will say you are funding the ANC?
The MDDA is strategically positioned to deal with the already highlighted injustices of the past; the historically disadvantaged; and specifically media diversity, transformation and ownership. The question is: Is the current funding model still relevant?
The MDDA has a limited role to play in achieving the print media transformation agenda. I therefore believe the MDDA must be empowered through legislation to be able to act on this matter and ensure that issues of media transformation reach finality.
In this regard, I support the notion that the print media must contribute to media development and diversity through the MDDA being given the requisite legislative powers. Despite some transformational changes that have taken place since 1994, regrettably the average black ownership in mainstream print media to date is 14% and women's participation at board and management level is 4,44%.
It has been observed during committee oversight that a lot more still needs to be done regarding ownership and usage of Thusong Service Centres. Government departments must be encouraged to use these centres as they are nearer to the people.
Clear control and monitoring systems also need to be put in place. The role of municipalities needs to be clarified. Sustainability of these centres also needs to be looked at. Again, hon Minister, the issue of uniformity is important.
It has been observed during oversight visits that in some provinces these centres fall under the premier's office while in other provinces they fall under Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. I was impressed by the Mpumalanga model. [Applause.]
On Brand SA, I hope this name change from Integrated Marketing Communications reflects South Africa in the true sense. The ushering of democracy into South Africa meant that the national symbols had to reflect the principles of the new era. During strategic planning presentation, it was reported that 50% of South Africans see themselves as South Africans; I would like to add, as Africans in general.
With regard to the index, there is a slight drop, from 56,41% to 48,94%. To improve this, we must revive the World Cup spirit. Out of so many negatives, we did well as a country. Thanks to you, Brand SA, you are indeed the true sons and daughters of South Africa.
In conclusion, it is important to note that with reference to the upcoming national policy conference, the ANC believes that there is a need to ensure that there is no anti-competitive behaviour in the print media business process and the entire value chain. It also strengthens its commitment to media diversity and recommits to the principles of media freedom, freedom of expression, access to information, the right to communication, stricter control of media ownership, rules and regulations for media ownership, in consideration of public interest objectives.
As Philip Meyer pointed out in his important work, The Vanishing Newspaper:
If readers no longer trust a newspaper or a magazine, they will look elsewhere for the information they need, while the hard commercial reality indicates that a loss of trust could translate directly into print media companies.
So print media, watch this space!
Set?haba se le lebeletse. Ke a leboga. [The nation is watching you. Thank you.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, I am sure that the members of the country that my hon colleague was referring to which is part of this debate must be wondering whether the GCIS team have a different colour tie for every day of the week, or if that is their standard uniform. [Laughter.] Perhaps you can enlighten us, Minister. The mission of this department is to drive coherent government messaging and to proactively communicate with the public on government policies, plans, programmes and, Minister, achievements. When you quoted this particular mission you left out achievements and perhaps for good reason.
Whilst I support this and recognise the need for government to communicate its policies and programmes, and to a lesser extent its achievements, I cannot help but point out that actions speak louder than words. What I mean by this is simply that if government at all levels were to put the same effort into the delivery of services that it appears to want to put into managing the negative perceptions of nondelivery, we would be able to reduce this department's budget quite drastically, rather than increase it. The money saved could go towards increased delivery of services to reach a diverse section of our communities in order to bring about reconciliation and redress.
The total expenditure increased from 2008-09 by an annual average rate of 18,5% to 2011-12. As my colleague mentioned, this was mainly due to spending on compensation of employees. It may be worth noting that the GCIS has a staff complement of 483 out of a total establishment of 500 - much larger than the staff complement of the Department of Communications.
There is a relatively large increase from 2011-12 to 2012-13, and the budget then reduces in the outer years of the MTEF period. We are told that the increase in this current budget year is because of the new building.
Now, with regard to the new building, we are also told that the premises are designed, and I am quoting the GCIS, -
... literally and figuratively to unleash creativity and establish synergy amongst business units that need to work together in close quarters but are currently physically dispersed, and to enhance our
... meaning, the GCIS's -
... reputation and relations with stakeholders.
I also assume that the stakeholders referred to are not the communities that are looking to the GCIS to provide them with information on government's policies and programmes, since the building that the information would come from would not be of as much interest to them as the effective delivery of basic services.
One of the relatively new objectives of the GCIS is media bulk-buying. We recognise that government needs to take advantage of the benefits of economies of scale. However, this strong position of GCIS buying advertising space on behalf of all government departments should not lead to the abuse of power.
There is no doubt that a functioning and healthy democracy requires dialogue between government, communities and civil society and the GCIS has an important role to play. The poor in society often suffer from deprivation, as well as low levels of health and education. Much of the information on government services needed to improve the quality of their lives, educational standards and employment or business opportunities depends on government efforts to make it available to them.
In this regard - and it has been mentioned by a few speakers - the Thusong Service Centres, formerly known as Multipurpose Community Centres, remain the primary vehicle for the implementation of this information. These centres also serve to integrate government services into primarily rural communities where there is a great need for exactly this type of service due to the great distances that have to be travelled, often at great cost, to established government offices.
There is a multitude of government departments that should, and in some instances do, participate with some level of elementary service at these Thusong Centres. Social Services and Home Affairs come to mind. The Universal Services and Access Agency of SA, one of the SOEs within the Department of Communication, also plays a vital role in establishing these centres.
It is, therefore, with great sorrow that I have to stand here and testify that these centres by and large - particularly in the rural areas, Deputy Minister - do not provide most of the essential services that they could and should. During the two provincial oversight visits that I have been part of this year, most of these centres are underutilised due to a lack of services and in most instances the information leaflets that should be provided by the GCIS are simply not there.
In fact, the GCIS and the SA Post Office also have an agreement whereby information stands are provided to the outlets, which I believe is an excellent initiative to make information available. Sadly, once again, while the metal stands are out there, there is no literature displayed and when the Post Office manager is asked about the lack of information, the reply usually is that they are waiting for the GCIS to provide them with leaflets.
Tragically, and I don't use the word lightly, in one instance when we visited a Thusong Centre - and I think this was in Mpumalanga - in a remote rural area, the building, which was in a relatively good condition, despite nobody knowing who the owner was, was standing abandoned and with no running water. The manager of this centre was telephoned ahead of our visit to come and unlock the gates for us, and as we were getting ready to leave, the gates were being locked behind us again.
There was a community that clearly needed the services that could be provided by an official Thusong Service Centre and could have brought some form of reconciliation and redress to a deprived community. No doubt, in the delivery statistics quoted by the hon Deputy Minister in terms of 170 Thusong Service Centres, this is one of them, notwithstanding the fact that the gates that should stay open are locked.
I think the only thing worse than not having something, is to have the illusion of having it. In closing, I wish to repeat two of the GCIS's organisational values.
Firstly, openness and transparency - the organisation states that it is open in all its communication and accountable and responsible for its actions. Secondly, honesty and integrity - where it states its officials exercise honesty in all their business dealings and strive to protect the integrity of the organisation and, by implication, government.
As members of the Portfolio Committee on Communication, my colleague and I from the DA will hold the department accountable to these worthy values, as I am sure the other members of the committee will also endeavour to do. I thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you, Chair, hon Minister Chabane, hon Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, hon director-general from the department, distinguished guests from all the entities, ladies and gentlemen, we have been celebrated in France. It is funny that we are often not celebrated in South Africa by our own, but we are celebrated by overseas people. As one government that has promoted diversity, indigenous languages and community radios, we were actually hailed at a conference in France for having done very well as a country with regard to diversity and indigenous languages.
Our community radios are promoting indigenous languages, which have been downplayed in the past and today, because there is a culture in a language. In fact, research has shown that people study better in their mother tongue. As a result, indigenous languages are very important and they have been promoted by our community radios.
Some of the community radio stations that we visited were doing very well despite limited resources because they had been doing some fund-raising in villages and in rural townships. They were actually offering bursaries to rural boys and girls in schools to learn for artisan jobs and even to go to tertiary institutions. Some of them have actually had on-the-job training and become journalists who ultimately went into mainstream radio and the print media. So, we are very proud of the work that is being done to diversify and promote indigenous languages.
Although my colleagues have already done so, I just quickly want to add to the issue of salaries, which has been raised by the opposition on so many occasions. In my opinion, the problem of salaries in this country has been caused by the constituency that is represented by the opposition - the private sector. You have a company like Shoprite, where in the same year the CEO is earning an annual income of R47 million and gets a performance award of R37 million - the salary is R47 million annually and the performance award is R37 million. On average it is said that in South Africa top CEOs in the private sector earn R5 million a month. Now you can see that people are playing with millions while others in the same companies are earning meagre salaries. I know that often it is said that that is the private sector; they generate their own income, while of us in government it is said that we are abusing taxpayers' money.
The point is that there is only one labour market. I will give you an example from the teaching profession. We need teachers in mathematics, science and accountancy. People with BSc and BCom degrees ultimately are attracted by the private sector because it pays twice, three times, even five times more than what government can afford to pay teachers.
Therefore when your constituency pays high salaries in the private sector, they are actually distorting the labour market in South Africa. Ultimately, you cannot match the private sector. We need people in government to deliver services. Whatever we do in government, we have to pay salaries that can, to a certain extent, retain them in the public sector or else we are going to lose very good people in government.
So, if you want to blame anybody, blame the private sector, because inequalities there are so big that the whole labour market in South Africa becomes distorted. [Interjections.]
Chair, would the hon member like to ...
Hon member, could you just wait before I recognise you? Yes, hon Farrow?
Thank you, Chair. I was just wanting to know whether I could ask the member a question related to what he is saying ... [Interjections.] ... because ...
No, hon member, do not motivate your question. Let me ask the hon member if he is prepared to take a question. Hon member, are you prepared to take a question?
No. Tomorrow afternoon I will be free; you can see me then. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
The hon member is not prepared to take a question. Order, hon members! You may continue, hon member.
The second point I want to raise is that it is said the DA is very worried about the election, that the ANC is abusing taxpayers' money, and so on. [Interjections.]
They do!
We should remember that the DA has been in opposition and I have never seen an opposition party in any country - whether you are referring to America with the Democratic and Republican parties, or the Labour and Conservative parties in Britain - in opposition for such a long time without ever winning an election. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
They must be worried about the elections, but personally I do not think it is money that wins an election. If that were so, the DA should have won an election a long time ago. [Interjections.] I mean, they couldn't even win an election against apartheid, which was declared a crime against humanity. [Laughter.]
The best they could do was to change names from the United Party and Progressive Federal Party. [Laughter.] The DA, in fact, is called the Democratic Alliance. I do not know who they are in alliance with because the National Party quit. When they quit, they said they did not think they could influence politics in South Africa if they were in alliance with the DA. So I am expecting the DA to change their name again, because they are not in alliance with anybody. [Laughter.] They are just changing names like a chameleon that changes colour and people can see through them!
The hon Steyn made a point about Mpumalanga, where there was a labour dispute and people were locked out. I was there with him. When we arrived, they wanted to talk to us, and our initial attitude was that we were there to do oversight. We were not there to resolve issues of labour disputes.
However, management there told us that a member of the same group came in at one stage and grabbed a community radio's microphone and started talking. So you can imagine - management is there; there is a commentator, but someone just comes along and pushes the commentator away.
We thought it would be a volatile situation if we left without addressing them. Then we went and addressed them. We resolved the matter because we went and addressed them and told them that if they had a labour dispute, there were processes and procedures. What we did not encourage was for them to behave like thugs and just jump in and show disrespect by grabbing the microphone. You cannot have a situation at a radio station where anybody simply opens the door and grabs the microphone and starts talking to the public. We are not a banana republic. [Interjections.] We are a serious republic.
However, I want to tell the hon Steyn that we ultimately did resolve the matter there. They were not locked up forever. We went in, did our oversight, spoke to them and diffused a volatile situation. They actually gave us a petition, jumped into their cars and drove away. [Interjections.]
Good for them!
So you could try now and then to give people accurate information when you speak.
I just want to end by talking to Cope's hon Kilian. There is a book that says if an organisation or institution has existed for a long time, it stands a chance of existing for an even longer time, because it has existed chronologically, year after year, like the ANC has for a hundred years. It not only existed year after year, it changed from generation to generation. It is not easy to change generations and generations of leadership or to change ideas and have different ideas. Therefore, if it can survive all that, then it stands a better chance of surviving.
Now, I am surprised because Cope never existed ... [Interjections.] ... not even for a year ...
Chairperson, I rise on a point of order: What is the relevance of the member's communication in this House to the debate at hand? [Interjections.]
Order, hon members! Order, hon members! Hon member, we are dealing with a political debate on a Budget Vote and a wide range of issues has been raised, so I will allow the member to continue.
So, I was just saying that if Cope wants to really challenge the ANC and be a serious opposition, they have to survive for a few years ... [Laughter.] ... and not threaten to collapse within one year. We all lose hope in this opposition called Cope. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
I finally want to say that we in the ANC - now that you want me to talk about the budget - support this Budget Vote. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, firstly, I would like to thank the PAC for donating their three minutes to me. Let me thank members for the comments and advice they gave.
Many of the comments that have been made are meant to enhance the work that we are supposed to do and they have been very valuable indeed. It shows the focus of members on their work of oversight and I think as a department we need to take account of their observations and improve in those areas.
I will, however, deal with some of the issues that have been raised. The first one is the Thusong Centres. I had the opportunity to go to Paarl this morning to meet with the community at one of our Thusong Mobile Centres. I also went to Mbekweni to meet with the communities there. They are really doing good work, and one thing good about it is the co-ordination and the working together that exist between the province, the national government and the local municipality. They are doing very good work. I was there with the head of department. The MEC could not come because he had another assignment, but it was very co-ordinated work.
Now, the department is not doing work on a partisan basis. We are working very well with the Western Cape and with all its municipalities. We provide communication back-up and communication services to them. So, to accuse the department of being an ANC mouthpiece is disingenuous in this case. However, I will come to that point later; let me deal with the rest of the issues.
The other issue that I wanted to deal with is the issue of staffing. In fact, if it was up to us, the department would have been given more money because we understand that we are supposed to communicate throughout the country - not only in urban areas, but in the deepest rural areas where there are no facilities whatsoever. We are supposed to be present there.
We are supposed to give services and support to provincial government, local municipalities, national departments and everybody. So we have to have personnel at almost all the places where we are supposed to do that work, and that is why our budget for personnel might seem out of proportion to the budgeted amount.
The other amount is not in proportion to what we are supposed to be doing. The focus should be on the additional amount that we need in order to execute our services wherever we may be.
Another issue is that Parliament should also focus on the parliamentary offices so that the department is able to provide this information to all your constituency offices throughout the country as a means of reaching out to communities.
The last point I would like to address is the conflation between party and state. [Interjections.] I hope you listened very carefully to my speech. I never spoke about that. We try to be very careful not to conflate the two. I am very happy that the DA has now begun, and I will now speak as an ANC representative in Parliament, not as a Minister ... [Laughter.] [Interjections.] You created the conflation, so you cannot accuse me of conflating it!
The first point is that the ANC is 100 years old. If you look at the history of the ANC - I think you are following it and not only reading the policy papers - you will see that among the first crop of leaders of the ANC there were serious writers and journalists. They were working for newspapers and some of them ran newspapers. Therefore, for more than 100 years the ANC has understood the role of the media. It understands the separation it needs to make between what it does in the state and in the party. We thoroughly understand media freedom and we are very careful. [Interjections.]
I am very happy that you have been able to identify that the ANC is concerned about the capacity of government to reach citizens, and it is a legitimate concern. It is a legitimate concern because the ANC is the only political party in the country that has such a wide reach. It has members in the most remote parts of the country and the people will always raise their concerns about what the government does. The ANC is the majority ruling party. It has to be concerned about the capacity of government everywhere, whether it is delivering services for water or anything else.
However, the delivery of information to citizens is critical in order for citizens to access the necessary information so that they can make choices. It is the role of this department. We are not a newspaper or media magazine. We are a government communication service ... [Interjections.] ... that provides information to citizens in diverse ways in order to reach all citizens. Our objective is to ensure that all citizens can access the services that we are supposed to provide. [Interjections.]
So, the ANC discusses its policy paper in the same way as the opposition can discuss the ANC. They have the right to discuss the ANC government. However, the ANC also has a right to discuss its own government and the weaknesses that it has in terms of communicating with citizens. This is because it is the ruling party and has to determine future policies on to how to reach citizens in the most effective way so that it can deliver services. So, as the ANC we are not apologetic about that.
Hon members will recall that as the department, we are very careful not to comment in a manner that will suggest that we are commenting on behalf of the ANC. We are very careful about doing that. You may check all our statements and check everything. We try to make sure about that, despite provocation in many cases. [Interjections.]
We try to avoid a situation where we would be seen to be speaking on behalf of the ANC. The ANC has its own spokesperson and its own media machinery. It is able to respond adequately to the issues that are raised. We respond on behalf of government institutions, including the Western Cape government, the DA municipalities and the IFP municipalities, as well as everybody else.
Lastly, I think there may be four political parties in this Parliament that are older than this Parliament and they are the ANC, the IFP, the PAC and Azapo. The rest have been formed in Parliament. [Applause.]
So, they don't have any experience. Yes, individuals might have participated in the fight against apartheid, but none of these parties fought against apartheid. As parties they have no right and no authority to speak about the fight against apartheid, except as individual members of that party. Thank you. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Order, hon members! Thank you, hon Minister.
Debate concluded.