JOHANNESBURG (Sapa) - Statutory control of SA's media would be unwise, Business Leadership SA (BLSA) warned on Tuesday, following a meeting of the organisation's leadership and members.
"We believe the free passage of ideas is the lifeblood of both democracy and the economy," BLSA chairman Bobby Godsell told a media briefing in Johannesburg.
He was referring to a controversial African National Congress proposal for a media appeals tribunal, and to the Protection of Information Bill.
Godsell said that at the meeting preceding the briefing, BLSA members had remarked to one another how the Fifa World Cup had boosted the country's confidence, but this had now been undermined by controversies over press freedom and mining titles.
"The [Fifa] World Cup disproved so many negative ideas about our country and it demonstrated that we are a modern, successful society but now we're asking ourselves if government really believes in press freedom."
He said that when it came to media freedom, SA had a good record of self-regulation.
"We believe the print media in SA, as is the case in most industrial democracies, should regulate itself," he said.
However, Godsell said BLSA would like to hear the print media acknowledge that they could do "a much better job" and make proposals in this regard.
"There are serious issues about the quality and training of journalists ... reporting standards are often poor and the print media's capacity for introspection is unsatisfactory to say the least."
The debate should take place in society and not just between politicians and the media, Godsell said.
"We need a free but responsible media."
Godsell said 50 of BLSA's 80 members had been present at Tuesday's meeting.
"There is concern among the members and that concern crosses all sectors."
Godsell said, however, that he was an optimist.
"I'm confident the problem will be solved and I'm confident SA wants to be open for business ... if we need to grow this economy then people need to trust the rules.
Turning to the issue of mining rights, Godsell said current developments around the granting of these rights were undermining SA's reputation.
"There's real damage being done to our economy and what the mining sector needs is clarification of the rules to reduce administrative discretion."
Godsell said that as a result of Tuesday's meeting, large companies such as the Absa Group, Nedbank, Sasol, the Standard Bank Group and Anglo American had agreed to formulate an anti-corruption code to govern members' interactions with government.
CEO of BLSA Michael Spicer told the briefing that the code would reference King III, the new corporate government code.
"Our members want us to define as clearly as possible what corruption means and our discussions provided for some self-reflection."
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