Elections Broadcast Credible, Free And Fair

Speaking during the release, Commissioner Lumko Mtimde said the success of this year's broadcast of the polls was attributed to the lessons learnt in the previous general elections in 1994 and 1999.
 
He said due to the lessons - and the awareness drive ICASA undertook to enlighten broadcasters - the latter understood their roles hence the high level of compliance reflected. "The Authority would like to thank all broadcasting licensees for the sterling work they did... and hereby declares broadcasting licensees' coverage of the 2004 elections as credible, free and fair," said Mtimde.
 
He explained that monitoring began on 16 February and ceased on 17 April and 102 broadcasting licensees were monitored. These include 69 community sound, 16 public sound, 13 commercial sound and four television broadcast licensees.
 
Sound broadcasting licensees' monitoring was based on Party Election Broadcasts (PEBs), Political Advertisements (PAs), Public Service Announcements (PSA), News Bulletins, Current Affairs programmes and Special Election Broadcasts.
 
PEB is a direct address or message broadcast free of charge on a broadcasting services and which is intended or calculated to advance the interests of any particular political party. Only public sound broadcasting services are obliged to air such transmissions. However, commercial and private services are welcome to broadcast BEPs provided they stick to the regulations. "The Authority monitored 473 PEBs throughout the election broadcast period," said Mtimde.
 
Public Advertisements were opened to all services and 7 527 were monitored. These advertisements, which are paid for by political parties concerned, were prohibited to be transmitted 48 hours prior to polling.
 
ICASA project manager Pfanani Lishiva said the Authority recorded 13 complaints during the monitoring period. "Four were received from members of the public who accused the SABC television news of being biased towards the ANC... three were received about the DA's PA, which stated that a vote for a smaller party is a wasted vote," he explained.
 
He added that some of the complaints were either referred to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) or the Advertising Standards Authority, as they did not fall under the ICASA's scope. "We managed all the complaints in terms of the procedures outlined in the Authority's regulations and they were all handled without much action having to be taken," he added.
 
The report further commended the SABC for broadcasting special information programmes such as Democracy 10 and voter education programmes, such as Khululeka and Walala Wasala. It also commended etv's Soap Box, which was broadcast during the station's news bulletins.
 
The IBA Act, stated the report, was silent on the broadcasting of PAs and PEBs by television broadcasting licensees. "The Authority would like to commend etv for airing these messages in the absence of a legislative obligation to do so.