President Cyril Ramaphosa engaged with members of the South African National Editors’ Forum in a virtual engagement on 31 May.
The meeting takes place at a time when the country and the rest of the world are immersed in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa commended South African media for helping to inform and assure the nation in this unprecedented situation which currently calls for a balance between vigilance against the coronavirus and the exercise of personal and collective responsibility that will enable economic activity to resume and alleviate hardship.
President Ramaphosa has held a series of meetings and consultations with various sectors of society since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that the national effort to combat the crisis is inclusive.
Mahlatse Mahlase, the chairperson of Sanef, said that this period has been a challenging time for media, with many local newspapers having to shut down due to the loss of revenue. She said that many local papers, writing in a number of languages, have had to shut down.
“Many media houses, to stay afloat, have had to introduce salary cuts and those salary cuts have gone as high as 40 per cent in some cases.”
She said the media is the lifeblood of democracy and they need to ask how the shutting of newspapers will have an impact on this and how those in authority are held accountable.
“One of the great things that have happened in the past few months is that we have seen an increase in audiences across all our platforms whether it’s radio, television or online and this is because the South African public has turned to trusted media houses so that they can make sense of this disease. In the face of fake media, many of them are looking for trusted, credible news and they have turned to us for that information.”
She said while some provinces have been very open in terms of providing information, they still believe there is more that government can do to give journalists access to information.
She raised concerns about a journalist, Paul Nthoba, who has fled to Lesotho after he was confronted by police while working. Ramaphosa said that he would direct the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to ensure that Nthoba has safe passage back into the country.
Ramaphosa said that he is open to engaging with the media on a regular basis. He said that this was an opportunity to thank the media for its indispensable contribution to the national efforts to deal with the virus.
“Through the media’s reporting on the disease, you have really helped to inform and empower the people of our country. You have also stimulated public debate and more importantly, you have helped to promote accountability and to hold those of us who are in positions of authority and leadership to account for what we do, for the decisions we take and the decisions we don’t take.”
He said he welcomes this, regardless of the criticisms, as it plays an essential role in the country. “It has required new roles of working, of reaching readers, listeners and viewers.”
Ramaphosa said he agrees more details, such as the number of people admitted to hospitals and ICU as well as a platform where that information is accessible, should be available.
“The coronavirus has created a number of challenges but it has also created numerous opportunities which we must capitalise on. We must see a silver lining below this dangerous cloud which hangs over our country.
“It has shown that the state, which has always displayed signs of capacity, as I’ve stated before, but when it is called upon to do so, it does have the capacity to implement programmes which improve the lives of our people, from food distribution to the provision of water, to wage support to millions of workers and small business and also to assist millions of South Africans who are unemployed and to create a platform and a facility and channel through which we can do that.”
Ramaphosa said that he has spoken with ministers to ensure that their communication is clear and direct and ensure that they are not seen to be contradicting or misinterpreting their own regulations.
He said that they have received advice from a number of doctors and professionals who advised them about the harm of smoking. He said that within the National Coronavirus Command Council when the initial decision was taken to allow cigarettes in Level 3, there were a number of concerns and objections from South Africans.
He said that he concedes that as he was the one who initially said that the sale of cigarettes would be allowed, he should have been the one to tell the nation that they had taken a decision to go back on this announcement.
Ramaphosa said that this period has highlighted that there should be a reset of the economy which responds to the poverty that prevails in the country.
“We need a much stronger fiscal positioning, a much more productive economy so we must look at all our sectors of the economy to make sure they are productive. We must industrialise, localise and foster the empowerment of women in our economy and focus on youth empowerment and disabled people must be well-positioned in our economy.”
He concluded that Covid-19 has brought to the fore the serious challenges that are faced by many people around the world. “In our case, our response has been underpinned by solidarity and government’s determination to support and assist our people to get on with their lives and post Covid-19 we will be embarking on an economic trajectory that will seek to do that.”
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