Hon Minister, Chairperson, distinguished guests, hon Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all.
The celebration and promotion of our native indigenous languages in South Africa is long overdue; thus I applaud the work of the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, and its partnering agencies, the Media Development and Diversity Agency, MDDA, the and International Marketing Council, IMC, in this national and international promotion and branding initiative.
The department and the GCIS have a hefty mandate of operations, guiding this nation's government departments in communication and in promoting South Africa, and its indigenous languages put the South African brand ahead in many platforms of communication. The Media Development and Diversity Agency has the voice of the nation at heart and we shall explore how it intends to use all its powers to shape and change the nation with it. In my conclusion, I will give a quick overview of the strategies employed by the International Marketing Council in branding South Africa with some strides that the agency has managed to accomplish.
According to section 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, everyone has the right to use the language and participate in the cultural life of their choice, but no one may do so in a manner that is inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights. Each person also has the right to instruction in his or her language of choice, where this is reasonably practicable.
The diversity of the unique cultures of South Africa means that there are 11 official languages, which are: English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, isiNdebele, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. The Constitution also requires the Pan South African Language Board, PanSALB, to promote the use of Khoi, Nama and San, and sign language.
The least spoken indigenous language in South Africa is isiNdebele, which is spoken by 1,6% of the population. Although English is the mother tongue of only 8,2% of the population, it is the language most widely understood and the second language of the majority of South Africans.
However, government is committed to promoting all the official languages, and the distinctive charm of South Africa comes from its history and moments of great change, also the strides of progress brought about by a people united in a diversity of beliefs, cultures and languages.
The ANC's position is that indigenous languages, and provincial and local issues are poorly catered for and covered by the public broadcaster, and that deaf people in South Africa do not have sufficient access to TV programmes. The ANC further notes that language plays a crucial role in the task of mobilising our people behind the objectives of the National Digital Repository, NDR.
The Media Development and Diversity Agency, MDDA, works primarily with disadvantaged persons and communities, especially in rural areas and historically diminished language and cultural groups and inadequately served communities. The agency focuses on community media projects, small commercial media projects and research, training and development projects.
In general, the MDDA as an agency shall, through all its activities, focus on consolidating and sustaining the current beneficiaries - more so, in respect of the print media, given the limitations regarding print media funding; actively encourage collaborations between different media groups, and encourage collaborations between media groups; and other community entities including telecentres, Thusong Service Centres and nongovernmental organisations, NGOs. It will also focus on actively collaborating with other national development finance institutions, DFIs, such as the Small Enterprise Development Agency, Seda.
The International Marketing Council, IMC, has a mandate to build South Africa's nation brand reputation in order to improve South Africa's global competitiveness to develop and articulate the value proposition and positioning that will drive the long-term reputation of Brand South Africa; and to build pride and patriotism amongst South Africans with the aim of uniting the nation by encouraging all South Africans to live the brand and, in so doing, define South Africaness.
The ultimate aim is to increase South Africa's global competitiveness by developing symbiotic partnerships with all stakeholders who deliver on the nation brand and aligning them to enhance South Africa's reputation.
The IMC was established in August 2002 to help create a positive and compelling consolidated brand image for Brand South Africa. There are many benefits to having a consolidated brand image. With the most important consistent Brand South Africa's message, it creates strategic advantages in terms of trade and tourism for the country in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The primary objective of the IMC is to develop and implement a proactive marketing and communication strategy for South Africa to promote South Africa internationally.
The IMC's role is to act as an advisor on nation brand and to develop strategic frameworks for Brand South Africa in terms of positioning and messaging. The IMC co-ordinates nation branding efforts across stakeholders, including corporate South Africa and the government, in order to maximise brand equity, while managing the local and international perceptions of our country.
The value proposition has its basis within our five positioning pillars of ubuntu, diversity, sustainability, possibility and creativity. These attributes are what makes South Africa unique and can be found in our people: The way we do business; how we treat others; and how we actively seek solutions to problems faced in our country, on our continent and in the world.
When we speak with one voice, we can be heard. When we stand together as one, we will be seen as a nation. This is why we need to make sure that we work together to make South Africa great.
Our goal is to make South Africa a top 20 nation brand and a top 30 globally competitive nation by 2020. We can't do it alone; we need our government, citizens, organisations, businessmen, investors, exporters, tourists, sportsmen, foreign media, policymakers, media, country analysts and academia to stand together and build a strong reputable nation brand for South Africa. The power of our partnership is what will influence our future as a nation brand.
What this means is that what we say about South Africa must be able to be experienced. The words must ring with truth and the South African spirit of success in a new world. Words can only do so much; there are actions that will speak louder. It is up to us as South Africans to move our country from what is possible to what is actual, and we can do this by working together. When we stand together and work alongside one another, we can achieve our country's goals. [Laughter.] The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]