By OBAKENG MAJE
The newly-appointed Board at the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), is expected to ‘hit the ground’ running. This comes after the incoming Board members were officially appointed by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The MDDA Board Chairperson, Prof Hlengani Mathebula, has voiced confidence in the recently appointed members. Mathebula said their appointments came after a rigorous selection and interview process by the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies.
“The Board members, Jayshree Pather, Thembelani Mpakati and Qondile Khedama, bring a broad set of skills, ranging from legal, accounting, research, policy and capacity building, as well as media and communications to the Board.
“This will enhance the oversight function role of the Board. Pather is a development and community media expert with over 25 years of experience, working on the intersection of development and the community media sector,” she said.
Mathebula further said Pather as an independent consultant for the past ten years, her experience spans research, policy, training/capacity-building, and materials development for a range of national, regional, and international organisations. She added that, since 2014, Pather has been a trainer at Wits Radio Academy, where she leads a foundational course on media policy and legislation for the Advanced Radio Certificate program.
“In 2020/2021, she oversaw a training program on digital campaigning tools for 50 African participants across 18 countries in collaboration with US-based Social Movement Technologies (SMT) on behalf of WoMin.
“Pather was also the first Project Director at the MDDA between 2006 and 2009 and has served on the boards of Sonke Gender Justice Project and ABC Ulwazi. She has several published articles, including a Future Proofing Guide for Community Radio for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB),” said Mathebula.
She said Pather had a briefing note on community radio for SANEF’s Independent Panel of Inquiry into Media Ethics and Credibility and chapters on community radio in the State of the Newsroom (2014 and 2024). Mathebula said she has a MSc in Development Planning from the University of the Witwatersrand.
“Mpakati holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) Degree and a National Diploma in Cost and Management Accounting (CCMA) from UNISA and Walter Sisulu University respectively. He has worked at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and National Treasury, amongst others.
“He is the Director and Founder of Mpakati Attorneys based in Pretoria. Mpakati has gained good experience in litigation, investigations, legal compliance, good governance, audit, and risk management,” she said.
Mathebula said Mpakati served as a Parole Board Member of the Free State and Northern Cape Regions under the auspices of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). She said he also served as the Deputy Chairperson of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL) in Tshwane. As a practicing attorney and human rights activist.
“He has acquired sufficient skills to be able to represent members of the public and actively mediate in terms of applicable rules and legislation,” said Mathebula.
She said Khedama holds an Advanced Diploma in Public Management from the Central University of Technology, a Programme in Management Development for Municipal Finance, as well as Developmental Communications. Mathebula said he holds a variety of other certificates covering Digital Marketing, Public Relations and Leadership, Feature Writing, Newspaper Management, Project Management and Events Managements among others.
“He is currently Head of Communications for the Mangaung Metro Municipality and a contributor to the PAN African Foundation (PAN), University of the Free State, Centenary Public Lectures as well as Eyewitness News (EWN).
“During the course of his career, he has won a number of awards, including, PMR Best Marketed 2016 Municipality, 2017 SADC Media Award. So, I would like to indicate that their presence and expertise will go a long way in advancing the work of the MDDA Board,” said Mathebula.
She said their collective expertise and presence are poised to significantly bolster the Agency’s mission of establishing itself as a formidable force in championing development and diversity within the community media sector. Mathebula said they remain committed to exercising due oversight of the Agency, including promoting good corporate governance and financial prudence as we continue to undertake our fiduciary duties.
The Guardian 