Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae made the announcement at a two-day provincial community summit at Imvelo Lodge in Bloemfontein on Thursday (27/3). The event brought together government leaders, including mayors, MECs, heads of departments, municipal managers, and key figures such as Icasa CEO Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo, along with officials from the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS).

The summit was organised in response to growing concerns from community media houses, which have long expressed frustration over limited government support, Letshoha-Mathae said. She acknowledged these concerns and emphasised the need for direct engagement with community media stakeholders.

“The concerns were there, and to truly engage and understand their challenges, we decided to host a summit and listen to them,” she said, adding that she ensured a broad range of government representatives attended, with six out of eight MECs present.

She also stressed the importance of compliance within the sector, making it clear that the provincial government cannot support noncompliant media houses. “I am happy that even GCIS speakers emphasised the issue of compliance,” she said.

Letshoha-Mathae urged media houses to work towards meeting compliance requirements to enable government collaboration. She also proposed a strategy for rotating the executive council across the province, ensuring that government departments engage with local community media outlets for advertising and public communication when visiting specific districts.

“We should use community media because we recognise their role. We shouldn’t undermine them or dismiss them as opportunists. We’ve seen their capacity and the audiences they reach,” she added.

Investment in community media

She also proposed a summit with the private sector, particularly companies working with government departments, to encourage investment in community media. “We shouldn’t struggle with bursaries while awarding massive tenders in this province. What are these companies doing to give back to our communities?”

She outlined a vision where private sector companies, particularly those in civil engineering and infrastructure development, could support community media as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Letshoha-Mathae further assured the public that the 40% allocation to community media would be carefully monitored to ensure effective use. “I don’t want to be a leader who misleads communities. My office knows my motto – whether the response is positive or negative, we must always provide feedback to the people.”

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cg