INTERFACING WITH YOU

FEEL IT, SABC IS HERE

22 JULY 2010

A: Introduction

B: Background

C: Outcomes

D: Areas of Cooperation

A: INTRODUCTION

Following the success of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) intends to build on the strides the country has made as a result of being the host nation of this spectacular event.

As part of our commitment to decisively contribute into social cohesion and nation - building through dialogue, the SABC News and Current Affairs Division will embark on a series of tours in four provinces to engage South Africa on the new opportunities brought to the fore by the World-Cup tournament. The purpose is to interface with the people of the country, while taking the Interface programme on SABC 3 at 20h00 to new heights.

B. BACKGOUND

The opportunities spurn forth by the successful hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa have brought new interest and have compelled us to rethink the manner in which we tell and capture the South African story. Never before, has our country experienced such a show of unity and immense patriotism. As part of our ongoing efforts to build on this momentum, the SABC will host public dialogues in the four major cities of our country:

These are:

• Durban (03 August 2010):
• Port Elizabeth (10 August 2010);
• Cape Town (17 August 2010); and
• Johannesburg (24 August 2010)

These public dialogues will bring together the business community, political leaders and ordinary citizens of our country to engage on socio-political and economic issues confronting their provinces and the country as a whole. The dialogues will be conducted in town-halls with the cities and provincial leadership forming the discussion panels. Included in the panel will be representatives of the business community and members of provincial opposition parties. A live audience from various sectors of the economy will also form part of the set and will share views and pose questions to the panel. The show will be broadcast live on the SABC 3 platform.

While the main thrust of the programme is to get South Africans talking about their challenges and the opportunities the country offers, a brief insert on the host province will precede the live discussions by participants. A host presenter will co-ordinate and facilitate discussions between and among the various stakeholders.

A well experienced production team comprising of SABC members has been mandated to develop, manage and implement this important task. At the helm of the production team is Mr Themba Mthembu: Head of SABC Current Affairs and News International; assisted by Mr Frans Scheepers and Mr Thami Dickson as the Anchor of the programme.

C: OUTCOMES

The intended critical outcomes are:

• To communicate the developmental plans of the provinces to attain the five key national priorities - education, health, rural development, crime and decent work.
• To foster better race relations between and amongst the people of the city, the province and the country;
• To highlight the economic and employment opportunities on offer in each city and province;
• To ensure continuous dialogue and engagement between the citizenry, business and government;
• To foster better national understanding of the cities and provinces; and
• To broadcast the link between the developmental projects of the three spheres of government; and
• To showcase the socio-economic legacy of the World Cup;

Source: Democratic Alliance, August 31 2010 (transcribed from the PDF)

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