Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, staff from the Minister's department, and CEOs and chairpersons of entities operating within the Minister's department, on behalf of the ANC and I am sure the other parties as well I would like to wish the Minister a happy birthday in advance for tomorrow. Happy birthday, hon Minister. How old are you now? [Laughter.] [Applause.]

We are engaging in this debate this year, this month, this week, this day, this hour, this minute and this second, marking the 17th anniversary of the assassination of Comrade Martin Thembisile (Chris) Hani, the former General Secretary of the SA Communist Party and national executive committee member of the ANC.

It was not by accident that United Nations member states adopted the Windhoek Declaration of 1991 and some of the declarations of the World Summit on Information Society, WSIS. They did so in acknowledgement of the importance of diverse and pluralistic media for the sustainability of democracy. Diversity of view and opinions promoting different perspectives can enrich citizens to participate in a people-driven democratic process.

It is therefore in the interests of states to support media diversity. With the media being recognised as the fourth power of state, if you wish, it is an important medium for both the state and its citizens. It informs, educates, entertains and provides a platform for the dialogue necessary in democratic discourse.

For any democracy to be sustainable, it needs free and diverse media. The freedom of the media must be protected by the legislative framework, in particular the Constitution and laws, and must by implication be protected by an independent judiciary. An independent judiciary in this instance is vital and critical for any constitutional democracy. A democratic state has a responsibility to support and promote free and diverse media, as this is in the interests of its citizenry and the sustainability of its rule as a democracy.

South Africa's democracy is premised on a commitment to support constitutional democracy which enshrines free, independent and diverse media. For these reasons we, as South Africans, last year celebrated 32 years since the apartheid government's most brutal actions against the media on 19 October 1977. As the ANC we would like to say that this will never be repeated. Free speech and free media are entrenched in our Constitution and we are going to respect them as such.

HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear!