28 January 2003
Minister in the Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad will hold a first meeting with the newly appointed Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) board members on Thursday, 30 January 2003. Following the meeting there will be a media opportunity where the Minister and the board will address the media on the outcomes and future plans.
President Thabo Mbeki appointed the nine-member MDDA Board, in December last year. The meeting on the 30 January 2003 will provide members with the opportunity to begin deliberating on the proposed way forward with regard to the operationalisation of the Agency.
Government’s decision to establish the MDDA was informed by the Task Group on Government Communications (Comtask) decision in 1996, and adopted by Cabinet, that: “government should facilitate the process of setting up a statutorily recognised media development agency comprised of independently recognised elected trustees, which agency will operate a statutorily recognised subsidy system for community and independent media in South Africa”.
The MDDA is therefore seen as a vehicle for realising the constitutional right to freedom of expression, including the right to receive and impart information, by all South Africans, as well as addressing the imbalances and divisions of power in our information landscape which have been results of generations of oppression and domination.
Date: 30 January 2003
Venue: Room 159, Union Building, Pretoria
Time: 16:00
Members of the media are advised to bring their press cards or identity documents for identification.
Enquiries
Harold Maloka
Cell: 082 847 9799
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
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