On Thursday, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Dumisani Ndlangamandla told the House of Assembly that he was not aware of any instrument stopping members of parliament from using state-owned media.
This is despite that, in 2012, his ministry, under his predecessor Winnie Magagula, who is now minister of labour and social security, is the one that introduced the Public Service Announcement Guidelines that have been used to stop the MPs from using both radio and television to communicate with their constituencies.
Addressing MPs, Ndlangamandla was quoted saying: “What is there to revoke because when I came into office there was no instrument stopping MPs from state-owned media.”
He also added: “There are processes to follow in doing this, I cannot just go and make an announcement. Cabinet must know.”
The minister’s denial is despite a recent confirmation by Bongani ‘Sigcokosiyancinca’ Dlamini to the existence of the ban. Dlamini said there was an unwritten ban of members of parliament and tindvuna tetinkhundla (constituency Headman) which was conveyed to them as heads of departments.
The ban, he said, was communicated to the media house minister Magagula when she was still head of the ICT portfolio.
“It was communicated to the station that any activity outside of government’s calendar cannot be featured as news and that government’s calendar is sent monthly by the press officer in Cabinet and it is normally updated in between,” Dlamini told the select committee tasked with investigating the media ban imposed on MPs.
Ndlangamandla admitted himself to the ban’s existence and said to the committee: “Even some ministers were abusing the state media to advance their constituency issues. It was further noted that this platform was now being used to criticise government and other MP hopefuls were using the media as a campaigning tool.”
Even though he went on to tell the committee that nothing would stop an MP from being interviewed or given coverage whenever there was an event in their constituency, evidence on the ground indicates otherwise.
MPs Jan Sithole and Saladin Magagula have both told of their disappointment at being interviewed by the national television during projects in their constituencies, but they were never featured in the news bulletin.
Instead, only Cabinet ministers’ interviews were broadcast, thus confirming the ban’s continued existence. Even though the two state-owned media houses still observe the Public Service Announcement Guidelines, the national radio, however, violates a particular section. This is in relation to a provision which says.
“All news bulletins must be produced with sounds bites and other broadcasting requirements in order to adhere to current practices and standards of the industry”.
A sound bite is a short extract from a recorded interview, which is chosen for its pungency or appropriateness.
SBIS radio, however, does not include sound bites in all its main news bulletins, which are broadcast everyday at 6am, 7am, 6pm, 7pm and 9pm.
The news is broadcast in a format where the news reader only narrates or summarises what an event was about and quotes those that spoke. The only time that sound bites are used is during the programme ‘news and current affairs (letisematseni)’ broadcast every weekday at 6:15pm.
The Public Service Announcement Guidelines were introduced at a time when members of parliament used to dominate the SiSwati radio channel’s ‘Letishisako’ which is broadcast every weekday at 7am.
The MPs were deemed to be campaigning through this programme and was breeding a bad relationship between them and cabinet ministers.
The guidelines then restricted the broadcasting of information that does not support government’s agenda as they state that “Any PSA that is negative or does not support government’s agenda shall not be allowed”. The guidelines only allow Public Service Announcements that conform to the following terms and conditions:
- If it is line with government policy.
- If it is authorised by the chiefs through the regional administrators’ or deputy prime minister’s office (i.e., if it relates to disaster, assistance, financial or otherwise).
- If it’s not used for purposes of campaigning by individuals or groups, or to advance an agenda for political, financial popularity gains for individuals or groups.
- A written PSA must bear the letter heads of authorised structures/institutions as well as signature of authorising institution.
- Airing times and quantity of airing are per the discretion of the director or principal programme officer.
- A written audio/video PSA must bear letter heads of authorised structures/institutions as well as signature of authorised institution.
- Broadcasting of PSA on all SBIS channels will only be made on a time available basis.
- Submitted copies of written announcements or audio will not be returned.
- The submitting person(s) or organisation indemnifies SBIS from any and all liability arising out of or in connection with the making, producing reproducing, exhibiting, distributing, publishing, transmitting by any means or otherwise during the transmission and or recording, distribution of the audio PSA.
- SBIS reserves the right to refuse the airing of a PSA on all its channels and is under no obligation to broadcast any information.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Welcome Dlamini
Quelle/Source: The Swazi Observer, 19.07.2015
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
