Pretoria - Communications Minister Faith Muthambi has commended the North West province for taking cognisance of the powerful role technology can play to fast track the economic development of its townships and villages.
The province will host its inaugural economic lekgotla known as Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies (VTSD) at Mmabatho Convention Centre from Wednesday, 30 November to Friday, 2 December.
Minister Muthambi is one of the Ministers who will speak at the VTSD lekgotla, under the topic ‘Contributing to the economic growth of VTSD through ICT and Communication’.
“Information and communication technologies (ICT) are vital to the economic development of our country. We want to commend the visionary leadership of the North West province for starting to assess the future of its economy, especially in the townships and villages against the backdrop of the global technological trends.
“It is now clear that ICTs are the modern economy’s greatest driver of innovation and growth,” she said.
Digital migration
The Minister will use the platform to talk about digital migration. The North West is one of the prioritised provinces on the roll-out of government subsidised set-top boxes (STBs) to poor TV-owning households in the border-lying areas.
STBs will allow those still using analogue television sets to access digital signals. Government will provide free STBs to five million qualifying households across the country. Digital migration will see TV viewers enjoying good picture quality and sound.
Residents in the core towns of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) area in the Northern Cape became the first South Africans to enter the digital broadcasting space in the country.
On 28 October, Minister Muthambi officially turned off analogue television transmission in the part of the Northern Cape that includes 3 700 households in the towns of Carnavon, Vanwyksvlei, Brandvlei, Vosburg and Williston.
Registration for free STBs is underway in the Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. However, registrations will open in the North West, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Gauteng at a later stage.
Role of community media
Minister Muthambi will also use the platform to highlight the significance of a strong and vibrant community media, which holds the power to significantly contribute to the development of a cohesive South Africa.
“Community media platforms - be it radio, TV stations or newspapers, are the true champions of promoting social integration and fostering tolerance on the airwaves.
“In an ideal world, community radio allows members of a community to gain access to information, education and entertainment.
“In its purest sense, it is media in which communities participate as planners, producers and performers and it is the means of expression of the community,” she said.
Before the dawn of democracy in 1994, the airwaves for community radio were closed. However, the scene has dramatically changed, with community media enjoying growing popularity.
“As government, we value and understand the importance of community radio to offer communities a cheap but vital way of protecting their language and heritage.
“Community media belongs to the community. They have a mandate to empower citizens with information about stories that happen within their vicinities, unlike reporting stories from far away cities.
“Our plan as government is to have community radio in all municipalities, where programmes like ‘Know your councillor’ can be produced to inform the public about municipal plans. That way, people will stay informed about government plans,” she said.
The Minister will also reflect on the transformation of the South African media, especially print media, which she says can no longer be put on hold anymore. - SAnews.gov.za
