Government Communications

The SACP welcomes the initiative by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) to establish its own radio station. It is absolutely essential that government is able to communicate on its policies and programmes unmediated by the DA oriented commercial media in our country. It is even essential for government's foreign policy to be directly communicated both inside and outside the borders of our country. 

The SACP therefore dismisses with the contempt it deserves the DA's criticism of the establishment of Radio DIRCO. The only reason why the DA is opposed to this is so that government's voice is muzzled and only be communicated through the commercial media that has become a major platform for the DA. Given the increasingly hopeless state of the public broadcaster it is absolutely imperative for government to diversify its platforms of communication. 

The SACP firmly believes that the ANC-led Alliance and government must use available technology and opportunities today to create its own media platforms. The SACP will also use the Mangaung conference platform to argue for government to increasingly use its advertising spend to promote a more diverse media, including supporting government and community media platforms. It is incorrect for government to continue spending its advertising money to reinforce the unhealthy commercial media monopoly we have in South Africa. 

Statement issued by SACP, November 27 2012

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