(Subcommittee) MDDA Board: interviews

Meeting report

The Chairperson noted the meeting agenda was to interview two shortlisted candidates for the three vacancies on the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) board.

See video for responses to interview questions

Candidate 1: Ms Brenda Leonard
The Chairperson greeted the candidate and explained that she was appearing before an interview subcommittee of the Portfolio Committee on Communications. The interview was in order to fill the vacancy on the MDDA board.

The Chairperson set out the interview procedure and described it as a mutually-learning conversation between Members and the candidate. The interview would begin with the introduction of subcommittee members. The candidate would have five minutes to make an introduction which should include her skills, qualifications and experience. The candidate is expected to give some input on what she would contribute to the MDDA if appointed. Subcommittee members each would have five minutes to engage with the candidate. The Chairperson himself plays a facilitator role in the process.

After introductions, Ms N Kubheka (ANC) said that she found the candidate’s participation in the interview process motivating. She commended the candidate’s current excellent work at the MDDA.

She asked what the candidate would bring to the MDDA board to make the entity a success and deliver its mandate to the community.

She asked what approach the candidate would take to deal with work pressure when working with colleagues at the MDDA.

Ms N Mazzone (DA) indicated that she was a big fan of community radio/media which formed a crucial part of the South African media circuit. True and independent community media is particularly essential for rural areas. She did have concerns about the MDDA. One of which is that its key targets have consistently been missed. As the candidate has been a board member for three years, Ms Mazzone was confident that the candidate had knowledge of the MDDA’s problems, but she wanted to know solutions. Going forward, what would be the candidate’s solutions to issues such as required amendments to the Act. What would be the solutions to ensure that its KPIs would be met as well as ensuring no fruitless and wasteful expenditure going forward?

Mr R Mdakane (ANC) said that given that society is becoming more progressive and we are living in the information age, what new ideas would be introduced if the candidate is re-appointed. Since we are living in an age where media is swamped with fake news, what would the candidate do to ensure that community is informed of the correct information.

Ms Z Majozi (IFP) asked how the candidate would navigate the conflict between management and the board. What would be her mitigation strategy to ensure that the conflict does not affect the performance of radio stations to continue to deliver their mandate.

Mr L Molala (ANC) asked if the candidate is re-appointed can she indicate the role and impact of over-the-top (OTT) players on community media.

Mr Molala asked how programming for community media could be improved so that it could respond to the objectives of media diversity in South Africa, particularly in local areas. It might be local but it is diverse.

The Chairperson asked the candidate, given her work experience as a MDDA board member, to identify two areas that could have been done better so that unachieved KPIs could have been avoided.

The Chairperson asked for strategies to navigate conflict of interests given that MDDA is responsible for managing and capacitating community radio stations.

The Chairperson asked the candidate to make conclusive remarks in two minutes.

The Chairperson thanked the candidate for participating in the interview which process was transparent and open to the public. The candidate is welcome to contact the Committee should there be more questions.

Candidate 2: Mr Mbasa Metuse
The Chairperson greeted the candidate and explained that he was appearing before the subcommittee of the Portfolio Committee on Communications to be interviewed to fill a vacancy on the MDDA board.

The Chairperson set out the interview procedure and described it as a mutually-learning conversation between Members and the candidate. The interview would begin with the introduction of subcommittee members. The candidate would have five minutes to make an introduction which should include his skills, qualifications and experience. The candidate is expected to give some input on what he would contribute to the MDDA if the candidate is considered for shortlisting. Subcommittee members would each have five minutes to engage with the candidate. The Chairperson himself plays a facilitator role in the process.

After introductions, Ms Kubheka asked the candidate what contributions he would make to the MDDA with the skills and experience he possessed.

She was happy to know that the candidate had extensive experience in business. Given MDDA’s tight budget, she asked for suggestions to attract skills in order to make the MDDA better and improve its budget issues.

Ms Mazzone noted the candidate’s extensive experience having sat on numerous boards, universities and councils as well as he was studying towards the chartered directorship. His current roles could be time-consuming so she was concerned about overstretching himself because one person can only do so much work. Given the difficulties the MDDA faces, would he have sufficient time to dedicate to the MDDA board?

MDDA failed to meet many of its KPIs. She thus wanted the candidate to give his input on what purpose of the MDDA is, should it exist, or should government consider juncture with other entities. They would work collaboratively, avoid fruitless and wasteful expenditure and benefit the public in meet the targets – given its importance in guiding communication and digital technology?

Mr Mdakane asked the candidate what motivated him to apply to be part of the MDDA board.

Since the candidate has reviewed the performance of the MDDA board, what new ideas would the candidate introduce to the entity if he was appointed?

Mr Mdakane asked what the candidate envisioned the future of MDDA should be like given that we are living in the information age and are experiencing an information revolution in terms of ideas and culture.

Ms Majozi asked the candidate to distinguish the difference between the MDDA board as an oversight body versus the MDDA administration and not interfering in the daily operations of the MDDA if he was appointed.

Mr Molala asked the candidate if traditional media still had a role to play in the current media trajectory where profit and huge political stakes prevailed in the media space. Against that background, it is difficult for poorly resourced community stations to survive. He thus asked in which areas community radio station could improve on.

Mr Molala asked where the candidate comes from, how many radio stations there are from where he comes, if he listened to them and any innovative proposals that he had for those stations.

The Chairperson asked the candidate to make conclusive remarks for two minutes and the candidate may also ask the subcommittee any clarity-seeking questions.

The Chairperson thanked the candidate for participating in the interview. This process was a journey to find a solution to ensure that MDDA deliver its mandate for South Africans. The entire process was transparent and open to the public. The candidate could follow every step of the way until the shortlisted names are recommended to the National Assembly. The candidate is welcome to contact the Committee should there be more questions.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting.