Questions for discussion by the group

• How should the MDA be funded?
• What should the MDA fund? Who should it not fund?
• Should the government be lobbied to grant indirect subsidies, such as discounts on paper, rebates on VAT, etc.? Will this strengthen the work of the MDA, or make it's work more difficult?
• What sorts of media policies (and even laws) are needed to ensure that the MDA is able to promote media diversity successfully?
• What international contacts should be established to promote the work of the MDA?

Presentation on group discussion by Morgan Phaala, President, South African Students' Press Union

On funding, we spoke on a number of issues. We discussed a number of issues particularly which did not even indicate, will MDA become statutory or non-statutory. That was the issue that was left out and it was supposed to be the first issue before we started. But I don't want to say the commission agreed because there were two or three individuals who were disagreeing on elements that will inform the statutory but did not raise concerns about it being non-statutory. So I don't want to dwell much on that because they'll want to think that maybe I'm swallowing the debate because I belong to the community.

As you can see, comrades spoke much on what MDA should fund. The one area was, how would they mobilise resources. The issue was that the MDA must see to it that it networks with other organisations in terms of getting the infrastructure in place and also mobilise grants in the form of public institutions. I'm not sure how it was dealt with because I was having some disagreements with it.

Also the issue of getting the levies and the advertising system. There was the issue that hence, like SABC, contributing part of their levy into the MDA. And also the advertising mechanism in terms of how it's going to do it. Then it was left for the plenary to resolve that.

And also the issue of concessions. There was a situation of a foreign institution coming to South Africa, selling particular equipment at a particular rate. So MDA must see to it, negotiate certain preferential rates for this equipment to go to community media.

On the issue of who should MDA fund, this one was very much complicated because comrades put much in terms of the development of the criteria; who, how and so on. And also there was an element of youth, gender and so on. But then it was left that the issue needs to be researched in terms of how will the whole element be located within the criteria.

Again, on the issue of who, I think there was much more emphasis on the business of the historical imbalances as to, we cannot just necessarily locate - how will I put it - our emphasis on new people on the ground, like maybe JP and Lebo, they can just sit together there and start a business and call it community related. At the end of the day, they are not part of the entire or the broader geographic criteria. So I mean, they would be left out.

And also the issue of who should MDA not fund. I think this one is very clear. It does not need more emphasis because of the area of political parties and also there will be preferences in line with IBA and USAID demographics, because I think it goes back to the area of criteria development.

Also on the issue of, should government be lobbied for funding. I think comrades argued very strongly because I think that's the issue that comes, the one that begins to suggest statutory and non-statutory.

But also there was an understanding or a context that was put to the commission which is called the SAMDEF situation which I'm not well versed in, Jane will take us forward on that.

And also there was an area where there is research which has been conducted by government most currently with different institutions like IBA, SATRA, Gender Commission, and so forth. And I hope the outcome of that particular research will also beef up the understanding of the lobby of the government and so on.

I think by and large, as I said, we did not touch much on the issue of the framework of the MDA, whether it will be statutory or non-statutory. Because if I will say it's statutory, maybe I will pain most of the people that were in the commission.