Photo by: Duane Daws
In preparation for South Africa’s imminent migration to digital broadcasting, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will hold public workshops to solicit input on the discussion document about impending local content regulations for television and radio.
This after Icasa earlier this year gazetted a draft discussion document to review the “outdated” regulations overseeing television and radio content.
Based on inputs from the workshops and written submissions, the regulator would promulgate draft regulations.
These draft regulations would again be published for public comment, followed by public hearings and the publication of final regulations governing South African local content on television and radio.
“It is Icasa’s view that, through South African music and television programming, radio and television can make a vital contribution to democracy, nation building and development in South Africa.
“Local content quotas will go a long way in protecting and developing the country's national cultures and identities, and promoting local industries,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
Workshops would be held in Mafikeng, in the North West, on September 22, before moving to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, on September 23; Polokwane, in Limpopo, and Cape Town, in the Western Cape, on September 26; Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, on September 30; East London, in the Eastern Cape, on October 1; and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on October 2.