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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 11 • 21 - 27 May 2010

The violent protests that have recently engulfed the country are a result of lack of access to information. This is the view of one of the country’s leading media personalities, Professor Anton Harber of the Wits University School of Journalism.

Harber was in Mpumalanga Province last week to launch Mpumalanga’s first Media Club (MMC).

“Why people are doing that [violent protests] is a lack of access to the media to make their voice heard. A media that does not only tell them what the government is doing, but also what the people themselves think,” he said.

Joe Thloloe, a media veteran for almost half a century, and currently South Africa’s Press Ombudsman, also echoed the same sentiments.

“Whatever we are talking about this evening emanated from the media,” Thloloe said, emphasizing the importance of the media in facilitating public discourse.

After a week of uncertainty, anxiety and drama, after the Premier of Mpumalanga Province, David Mabuza, announced that he was suing a number of media houses and journalists, there was, at least one event to look forward to and to listen to two of the country’s respected media personalities who were in the province to share their vast knowledge in the media industry with their Mpumalanga counterparts at the launch of MMC.

According to MMC’s interim constitution, its objectives are to promote the professional, social and other interests of Mpumalanga’s press, media and communications industries, enhance, uphold and defend the fundamental rights of freedom of speech, conscience and association, principles secured in the constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

It was the first gathering held by Mpumalanga journalists since the Premier’s bombshell, and many of them had a thing or two to say about the events that took place earlier in the week, and the visitors immediately knew that there was a problem.

“From what I’m hearing I can tell that there is a complicated relationship [between the media and government]. In a small town, the local government is very important, and newspapers depend on it [government] for advertisements,” said Harber, warning that government can withdraw advertisements if they are unhappy about what is written.

He, however, said that there the two institutions are interdependent and that evidence of this was the violent protests that are taking place in the country as a result of lack of access to information.

Harber carefully navigated through the journalists’ questions, some of whom clearly expected him to condemn the Premier’s actions. Instead he said.

“The media has the right to freedom of expression and the Premier has the right sue.” His statement was greeted with a brief silence, except minor nods from some of the more experienced journalists and the government representatives who had graced the occasion, the Premier’s Spokesperson, Mabutho Sithole and Joy Letlonkane, the Acting Chief Director of Communication in the Office of the Premier.

Tholoe welcomed the formation of the MMC, but urged the journalists to strengthen the media associations. He lamented the demise of some of the country’s leading professional media associations.

“We have seen the growth of press clubs, but the collapse of professional associations. We need professional Journalists Associations with policies,” he said.

He said formations, such as the National Editors Forum excludes those who are at the “coalface” of the media industry, the journalists.

Thloloe also paid a special focus on media regulation and called for the utilization of institutions such as the press council of South Africa, which were formed to encourage self-regulation.

Thloloe said that the fear that self-regulation could lead to self-censorship was unfounded. He said the press council’s code is not aimed at censorship but to promote journalistic excellence.

“Everyone has a right to freedom of expression, which includes the freedom of the press. We are part of everyone’s right to speak. Society has carved a place for journalists. If they have given us the right, they can’t take it away,” he said.