It is an honour to be part of today’s launch of the new online opinion and analysis platform RealPolitik. The emergence of new role players in the South African media space is a welcome development.

For far too long the media space has been dominated by media houses and media voices with a similar world view. This was the case and more extreme in apartheid South Africa.

In her work entitled Kill the Messenger: Media’s role in the fate of the world, Maria Armoudian reminds us of this fact when she states “Inside South Africa, the mass media were a battleground, mostly divided by language and ethnicity that "overwhelmingly reflected the social situation,".

When any one viewpoint dominates, it is never good for democracy or society. Civilised nations across the world thrive on plurality of views and the availability of different platforms for citizen participation.

It is for this reason that the ANC and many progressive formations in society have been pre–occupied with ensuring media freedom, freedom of speech, access to information and media diversity.

The ANC holds in the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), that the media should contribute to the transformation of our country. Building social cohesion and promoting values of a caring society are an essential part of the battle of ideas and must underpin and inform the manner in which the media operates. The accountability and fairness of reporting are central to the objective assessment of the gains of the NDR.

It is undeniable that control of the media was one of the most important tools in the apartheid arsenal, and a battery of censorship legislations played a role in helping to ensure the survival of the apartheid regime – in particular, in ensuring ongoing support from its key constituencies by keeping them in the dark.

However there were sections of the media then, that understood and played their role as the voice of the people. I am reminiscent of the likes of the Guardian and later the New Nation, Vrye Weekblad and others who at great risk to their brand and their people continued to uphold the highest values of journalism, reporting fairly and extensively on the atrocities and  scandals of the apartheid government.

Program Director, I recall during my years in exile a particular radio station that served as the real voice of the oppressed people of South Africa and Africa.

Radio Freedom was one of several early resistance media, challenging apartheid's legitimacy, exposing realities, helping build cohesion among activists, and offering a platform for engagement with the people for leaders such as Oliver Tambo and many others. In fact Tambo’s style of leadership indicates his profound understanding of the importance of the media as a vital platform to win the hearts and minds of the people and sway the dominant establishment narrative.

Program Director at this juncture we must ask ourselves the question, how has the media land scape in our country changed? What strides have we made to change the ownership patterns to reflect the demographics of society?

In my opinion with regards to ownership and control and looking at the biggest subsector in the media industry i.e. print media the picture is not encouraging. Print media is dominated by five major players and only one boosts the highest percentage of ownership by historically disadvantaged individuals.

In addition to these glaring disparities, the continuing narrative in the South African broadcasting space is akin to the old adage that says he who pays the piper calls the tune. A cursory glance at television news from different TV stations will leave you gasping for fresh air. Some stations are docile, lacklustre and non-engaging, some are overtly anti-government and report from that vantage point and then some -all analysts and commentators agree with one another on every subject and all the time.

Malcom X characterises media’s role more succinctly when he states that “the media’s is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses”
We must avoid a situation where the media in our country follows wrong trends as are practiced elsewhere in the world, where media adopts a monopolistic approach to views in seeking to manufacture consent as opposed to providing hard facts for people to make up their minds and be an informative piece to our people.

South Africans are yearning for new voices and platforms to tell the South African story. Platforms such as RealPolitk, I hope, will ensure that our media space has much needed plurality of voices and of opinion. Sergio Jellinek a World Bank expert for Communications, makes an interesting observation on plurality and how it contributes to a country’s development. He says: "A media system that is plural in terms of content, vision and ownership, ensures more active participation of public opinion in development processes and involves citizens in decision-making associated with defining a country’s development priorities."

Plurality and diversity of voices creates informed citizenry that is empowered to make informed choices. It allows our democracy to remain robust and function better as citizens are able to constructively participate in matters of the state and those that affect their lives.

Ladies and Gentleman,
We are living in the golden age of technology and communication. What were mere flights of fantasy are now today’s reality such as the advent of social media and black twitter.

In an ever changing world very little is certain, but I think we can say without reservation that the world will become ever more interconnected. The idea that communication can be filtered through a multiplicity of platforms and devices reaching large numbers of people instantly which is commonly referred to as the internet of things.

As government we will strive to use the digital dividend to ensure that our country is at the cutting edge of Information Communication and Technology. The commitment to ensure a diversity of views is reflected in the Constitution of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996; Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Act; Broadcasting Act of 1999; the Electronic Communications Act of 2005; and Media Development and Diversity Act, amongst others.

I can proudly state that we have made significant strides in ensuring media diversity, especially in the community media space. In the past few years community media have begun to find its voice and have now emerged as a serious player in the media space.

The footprint of community media extends throughout the country, and they are often the voice of marginalised and ill-resourced communities.  They have begun to emerge as conduits for continuous dialogue on a range of pressing issues; such as safety, health, education, employment and rural development

They are also well placed to lead conversations on that which divides us, and provide platforms for ordinary citizens to make their voices heard. I believe that their influence will continue to grow and they will become vital partners in our vision of building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.

Programme Director,
The emergence of diverse  views which encompass a wide spectrum of society can only be a good thing for our democracy.

The entry of new players like Real Politik is an exciting development.  The online space is one of the most contested and also the most highly saturated.  It is a space where compelling arguments and new viewpoints can find traction.

I have noted with interest that the editorial team at RealPolitik aims to create an online opinion and analysis platform where new and existing voices with something interesting to say about the direction of the country will be published.

This is indeed an exciting development and will open space for unknown voices to contribute opinion pieces and provide analysis on topical issues. I am glad to see that your complement of columnists will include writers, politicians, academics, students, political journalists and other opinionated South Africans.

Such new talents and new ideas being unleashed can only be a good thing for our public discourse.  I look forward to reading the opinions of your writers and have no doubt that the viewpoints expressed will further contribute to the glorious tapestry of our multi-cultural and diverse society.

I urge you to ensure that your opinions contribute to the battle of ideas.  Step off the well beaten path and explore the merits of arguments that run counter to established thinking. Be open to new ideas and new thinking, and most importantly take the lead in telling authentically South African and African stories.

I wish you the best of luck as you enter into this new venture, and I am confident that RealPolitik can take its place as an important influencer of opinion, and also assist in moving South Africa forward.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasise to RealPolitik the importance of your new role and ensuring that even views that they disagree with are aired and heard without any attempt to unreasonably censor anyone. As Noam Chomsky once said “if we don’t believe in the freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”  Some journalists question the credibility of this platform we are launching today.  The likes of Sam Sole do not believe that a black person can break away from the norm and create a space of this nature in an environment that is predominantly reserved for a chosen few.

RealPolitik wrote today on Twitter “One day to go: Minister of Communications will deliver a keynote address at RealPolitik official launch”.  Sam Sole responded, “Who are you? And who funds you? You look like another sock-puppet outfit”.
Now, for a journalist to say such about another journalist is ironic.

The people behind this initiative such as Caiphus Kgosana and Dominic Mahlangu and many others are people I personally regard as accomplished journalists who have earned their stripes in the sector.  I challenge anyone who thinks they are not experienced enough as the likes of Sam Sole if not better to create a credible platform to serve as a news source.

Let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend!

Thank You