The following communication was sent on behalf of SASFED and its member organisations:
To the Director General – Mamodupi Mohlala
Department of Communications
IParioli Park
399 Duncan Street
Pretoria
0002
Fax: (012) 427-8026
Email: director-general@doc.gov.za
30 November 2009
SASFED welcomes the Department of Communication’s initiatives for a renewed vision for public service broadcasting, particularly with regard to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
However we are deeply concerned about a number of the provisions of the Public Service Broadcasting Bill 2009 and request much more time than has been provided for to canvass the opinion of our substantial membership in response.
SASFED represents the interests of most film and television industry organisations as a federation, and is the most broadly unified TV and film industry body.
Our members include: The DFA - The Documentary Filmmakers Association, OSCA SA - The Official South African Casting Association, PMA - The Personal Managers' Association, SACOD - Southern African Communications for Development, SAGA - South African Guild of Actors SAGE - South African Guild of Editors TPA - The Producers Alliance (Merged with the IPO from September 2009) WGSA - Writers Guild of South Africa WIFTSA - Women in Film and Television, SA WOS - Women of the Sun – our associates include Animation SA, Arts in Africa, Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, CPA - Commercial Producer Association South Africa, FEPACI - Pan African Federation of Filmmakers, TVIEC – The Television Industry Emergency Coalition, Industry Hunger Protesters, IPO - The Independent Producers Organisation, TAC - The Actors Coalition, UKZN - University of KwaZulu Natal
SASFED is concerned that an inadequate process of discussion for enduring solutions to the complex matters of the public broadcaster and public broadcasting, will continue to render the public broadcaster unstable, conflict ridden and ineffective and, fail yet another generation in the ideal of meaningful public broadcast services.
The experience of the public broadcaster in a democratic South Africa has in the main been one of chronic instability and crisis, including of vision, mission, and strategic and operational management. This has been possible not least because public broadcasting has not been anchored in any co-determining and collaborative reference with all relevant role players and interests.
It is vital to ensure the outcome of a public broadcaster that enjoys the overwhelming confidence of all role players and interests going forward. A necessary first step for this is thorough and informed discussion of the far-reaching proposals presented in the Bill.
SASFED calls on the Department to extend the deadline for responses to the Bill to the end of March 2010 to allow for thorough debate and consultation before new legislation is passed.
Issued by the SASFED Board
Co-Chairs: Kgomotso Matsunyane & Feizel Mamdoo
Vice Chair: Eve Rantseli
Treasurer: Michael Lee
Co-Secretaries: Thandi Brewer & Khalid Shamis
Legal: Stacy Koma
Communications: Marc Schwinges
Additional Members: Rehad Desai & Dan Jawitz
SASFED is The South African Screen Federation, representing the interest of most film and television industry organisations as a collective federation. Our members include:
DFA – The Documentary Filmmakers Association
OSCA SA - The Official South African Casting Association
PMA – The Personal Mangers’ Association
SACOD – Southern African Communications for Development
SAGE – South African Guild of Editors
TPA – The Producers Alliance
WGSA – The Writers’ Guild of South Africa
WIFTSA – Women in Film and television, SA
WOS – Women of the Sun
SAGA – South African Guild of Artists
