The Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) is a statutory development agency for promoting, supporting and ensuring media development and diversity, set up as a partnership between the South African Government and major print and broadcasting media companies, in terms of the MDDA Act No. 14 of 2002.

The President of the Republic of South Africa (President Kgalema Motlanthe) has, in terms of Section 4 (1) (b) of the MDDA Act appointed Mr. Dan Moyane to the MDDA Board with effect from 20 January 2009 for a term of office of three years. Mr. Moyane represents the broadcast media in the Board in terms of Section 4 (1) (c) of the MDDA Act. The President further renewed the terms of office of Ms Ingrid Louw and Ms Baby Tyawa for a further three year term of office.

Mr. Moyane is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Mazole Holdings which is a marketing, media and business communications company. He has been in the radio broadcasting industry for 28 years (from 1980 to 2008), eleven of which were spent in the public broadcaster in Mozambique, fifteen of which in a private commercial broadcaster in South Africa and nearly two of which in South Africa's public broadcaster. During this career Dan worked his way up from a trainee reporter to a news editor, from a news reader to a talk show host and from a station manager to an executive chairman of a subsidiary of a JSE listed company. He is reliable and diplomatic with an excellent understanding of broadcasting and political trends, combined with professional integrity, leadership qualities and management skills.

The MDDA welcomes the new Board members, commit to working with and supporting them, look forward to their leadership and guidance in the governance of the Agency, and wish them all the best in the quest to pursue the mandate enshrined in the MDDA Act. The new members will be taking an oath or affirmation on the 29th January 2009 committing them to fairness, freedom of expression, openness and accountability, and upholding and protecting the Constitution and other laws of the Republic.

Issued by:
Lumko Mtimde, Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact:  Hariet Mhlanga at (011) 726 3336
www.mdda.org.za

It took a "Killer Storm" that ripped through KZN, causing death and devastation to residents and properties in Pietermaritzburg on January 3, to bring out the best in the print industry.

Mr PC le Roux, managing  director of The Witness has expressed his personal appreciation and that of his Board and staff, for the assistance from their competitors - the Independent Group and the Caxtons operations in Pinetown -  the Witness's associate companies - Media24 and Africa Web - and shareholders after the storm struck.

The plant's roof was ripped off its press hall while in full production, and torrential rain brought the printing operations to a halt.

"The management teams assembled rapidly and proceeded with disaster recovery procedures, ensuring first of all, that no staff were or could be injured due to the high voltage scenarios of our operating environments," Mr le Roux writes in his letter to PMSA president Mr Prakash Desai.

"Thereafter, the priorities were to ensure that our printing obligations to our various publishing clients were fulfilled as a matter of urgency over the next 24 hours.  We were able to achieve this with the extra-ordinary co-operation of our colleagues, shareholders and particularly, our competitors....

"The scenario that emerged indicates just how important the co-operation of all the players in our industry can become in times of natural disaster.  In particular, it underlines the roles that we have to play as the Fourth Estate in ensuring that we protect and defend the interests of our citizens and our country at all times."