You know, I didn’t ask to be here this evening. I was invited. On the eve of elections!  And a robust election campaign it is too! Now I have a captive audience here. Are you sure it’s safe to have me here? How could you be sure that I won’t in these opening remarks, brief as they’ll be, slide in the virtues of the party I come from and why you should vote for us? Or that I won’t come in a party T-shirt? In fact, I’m coming here straight from election work in Welkom in the Free State…. Ah, but you know what? I trust you to do the right thing on 7 May. So there’s no need for me to abuse the trust of the organisers in inviting me here tonight….

But what about MTN, the sponsors of this event? Aren’t they brave to let me be here? How do they know I won’t focus on call termination rates and the need to reduce the cost of using cellphones? A very popular topic throughout the country! ….Ah well, we have as the Department of Communications said enough about that – for now, at least. So MTN, you can relax – well, for now!... 

But seriously: I’m pleased to be here today, and I’m glad you invited me. I want to immediately congratulate co-founders of the MTN Radio Awards, Richard Lendrum and Jeremy Maggs, and MTN for its commitment to and sponsorship of these Awards. I read in a document by the organisers of the MTN Radio Awards that MTN is “one of the foremost advertisers on radio in South Africa.”

The document also notes that “radio remains one of South Africa’s foremost media choices. It’s about rewarding those individuals and organisations who combine talent, hard work and skill to ensure that their listeners are compelled.”

It goes on to note that: “We’re proud to recognise and honour South Africa’s outstanding radio talent, from in-front-of-the-mic presenters to behind-the-scenes producers. In doing so, we hope to inspire people wishing to enter this dynamic industry.”

While advances in technology may have led to the demise of print media, radio has done well to integrate in both technological and social terms. So now you can pick up radio on your cellphone or tablet and follow your favourite DJ on Twitter. 21st century radio has also, of course, become an interactive medium with multiple layers of communication between people and their radio stations. Many people, for example, are also following the Oscar Pistorius Trial on radio in their cars and elsewhere, and posting their comments on their station’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

While radio may be a wonderful entertainment medium to many of us, it plays  a huge role beyond this in South Africa. Its ability to reach remote and vulnerable communities, such as sections of the illiterate, women, youth, the poor and disabled is remarkable. Radio penetration stands at almost 90 percent of the population. With elections around the corner, radio as a platform for public debate has taken on an added significance.

It is the only medium of communication where just about every member of the public can participate, at a reasonably affordable price, irrespective of literacy or educational levels. The capacity of radio to inform and educate our population about our country’s progress has been essential in strengthening our democracy. In many senses, radio gives a voice to the voiceless.

Radio has also been a companion of the struggle, however radio stations saw the struggle. Radio provided a means for those who were exiled in far away lands to connect to their country. Radio was one of the platforms liberation movements used to reach us in South Africa. I remember connecting in the 1980s to the ANC’s “Radio Freedom” from Lusaka, crackly though the sound often was,  and having a sense that the ANC was more with us than we knew and guiding the mass democratic movement. How many of you of my generation here remember Tom Sebina, the ANC spokesman, who was almost always on  “Radio Freedom”?

Just look at how the face of radio has changed over the last 20 years. From having a handful of radio stations in 1994, there are now nearly 200 public, commercial and community radio stations flourishing in our country. Twenty years of democracy has brought us a free and vibrant radio industry. The community radio sector in particular has progressed enormously, with government support, offering an important information medium to poor communities, as well as providing a fertile training ground for up-and-coming talent. I’m glad that one of your Hall-of-Famers tonight is Mr Lumko Mtimde from the Media Development and Diversity Agency, which has played a significant role in the growth of our country’s community radio sector.

The ICT sector is, of course, male dominated. 24 April is “Girls in ICT” day. It would be good if all of you played your part in introducing girls to the wonderful opportunities in the sector.

Interestingly, this year’s “World Radio Day” focused on the significant role that women play in radio and I’m pleased to see that there are a number of women nominees. I have been unfortunate to have been interrogated by some of them and can vouch for their professionalism and skill.

The MTN Radio Awards is important because it recognises and encourages excellence in the radio industry. Many of the nominees and winners have gone on to make a name for themselves in radio and other media.

The radio sector continues to grow in strength as a result of the sterling efforts of many of you present here tonight. I urge you to continue on this part and take cognisance of the technological changes altering our society, so that radio may continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

Let me, before I end, congratulate the winners of tonight’s awards, and also the nominees who don’t win. I’m very interested to see who gets the “Lifetime Achiever Award”. But, of course, all of you here tonight are winners – you have made radio such a winning medium! And not just the government but the whole country is indebted to you. Thank you! 

It gives me great pleasure to formally open tonight’s MTN Radio Awards ceremony.