Cabinet/Sanef Indaba

The Cabinet-Sanef Indaba represents a historic moment in the democratic transformation of South Africa and the relationship between government and the media.

All delegates noted the spirit of robust, candid and open dialogue between the government and media. This spirit forms a milestone in building trust between government and media. Notwithstanding the opportunities lost in not having met earlier, we believe the lesson is that dialogue should become a continuous and ongoing feature of our democracy.

This dialogue is vital for the sustenance of our democracy and constitutes practical embodiment of the ideals of our constitution and founding settlement.

The significance of the indaba is reflected in the presence of the President and Cabinet Ministers; a large number of the country’s editors and senior media professionals. Parties to the indaba were appreciative of the dedication of each side to embrace the Constitution as the central reference point of our dialogue and engaging in issues of public interest and national importance.

Objectives of the Indaba

The meeting acknowledged the unacceptable level of mistrust and animosity reached between the two parties in recent times, and firm steps have been identified to rebuild trust in the mutual interest of government ad the media, and in the interest of the country.

The meeting identified critical issues pertaining to the respective roles of government and the media in building the unique project of democratic transformation in which South Africans are engaged. The uniqueness of our experience obliges us to reflect deeply on how we conduct ourselves in the different terrains in which we operate.

• Divergent opinions were expressed in a spirit of openness and frankness and participants committed themselves to deepening dialogue around a number of issues of national and public interest. Among these are:
• The challenges of poverty and underdevelopment
• Resource and capacity constraints impacting on both institutions
• The challenges of transformation in the media industry
• Freedom of expression
• The communication requirements of the public
• HIV/Aids, and
• Statistical integrity

The starting point of our deliberations and the way forward is commitment to the development of South Africa and the acceptance of the Constitution as reflecting our national interest.

Media and Government accepted each other’s bona fides whilst at the same recognizing each other’s dynamics. Government reiterates its commitment firstly to ensuring the independence of the media, whilst taking steps to encourage diversity. Secondly, it reiterates its commitment to engage in public work transparently and to facilitate access to information for journalists.

The media recommitted itself to accurate and fair reporting; and dissemination of information that would advance the objectives of our constitution.

Several practical suggestions emerged. The following is a summary of some of the most important ones. A working group will process the conference report and consolidate all the suggestions that were made.

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1. Informing the public

• Extend media coverage of rural areas and the reach of the media into rural areas
• Place emphasis on community based media
• Comprehensively cover the UN conference on racism
• Provide space and opportunity for dialogue on national issues
• Change mindsets of media and government towards one another – and the perceptions on either side of negativity in the other
• Nurture understanding of institutions established under the constitution
• Debate the notion of freedom of expression in relation to subpoenas and legislation still on the statute books which impact on the media and other related issues
• Support the establishment of a Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) to promote diversity

2. Improving government communications

• Ensure reasonable notice of rural events needing coverage
• Coordinate better communication involving national, local and provincial spheres
• Move towards regular and frequent government briefings of the media
• GCIS to be available to mediate in any disputes or disagreements between journalists and government communicators

3. Improvements in the media

• Consider reintroducing stringers/correspondents in remote rural areas to extend the scope of newsgathering,
• Strengthen self-regulation by the media
• Sustain SANEF progress on ethics and code of conduct
• Review the codes of conduct of both the office of Press Ombudsman and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission
• Play a role in building non-racist and non-sexist society
• Extend allocation of journalists to under covered beats, including rural areas
• Media as a community to define professional values in relation to national interest

4. International aspects

• Look at expanding reporting on international affairs and the possibility of a diplomatic press corps
• Government to brief media in the regions on MAP and international marketing of South Africa, hosted by SANEF
• Government to provide more regular diplomatic briefings
• All Africa editors’ conference to be hosted by Sanef
• Sanef to encourage SA media to pool resources to ensure better coverage of Africa
• Sanef to interact more with foreign correspondents
• South African media to enhance efforts to help international media better reflect South Africa

5. Joint Government and media initiatives

• Economic Cabinet Cluster to brief journalists and editors more frequently on significant and substantive issues, in context of agreed rules of engagement
• Explore exchange of internships.
• Minister of Finance to initiate a pilot project with regard to the above two points
• Expand investment in training of both government communicators and media professionals
• Nurture mutual respect on the part of both institutions
• Initiate a pilot project for more regular briefings
• Pursue the establishment of a Presidential Press Corps
• Arrange a meeting of government and media owners

6. Deepening Freedom of Expression