INDEPENDENT  FORUM  FOR  RELIGIOUS  BROADCASTING 

C O N S T I T U T I O N  

MISSION: 

To obtain for all religious groups fair, just and affordable access to the country’s TV and radio waves so that they will be in a position to give full expression to the religious needs of their communities, help to inform the general public about religious matters, and critically evaluate social, political and economic structures and their activities from a spiritual and moral perspective. 

GOALS: 

To meet the needs of the religious adherents through worship, teaching and ministry. To provide education of the public regarding the beliefs, practices and values of the religions in South Africa. To bring the views and values of the religious groupings, both individually and collectively, to bear upon the life of society and on moral and other debates in the public arena. 

PRINCIPLES: 

Religious freedom, and its expression, is the inherent right of all citizens of South Africa. Religious groups acknowledge the electronic media as an important aid in communicating the beliefs, practices and values of the religions in South Africa. Public broadcasters have a responsibility to provide religious groups with a fair access to broadcasting. Religious broadcasting needs to be controlled by the religious group and the broadcaster working in partnership.  

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The necessity for a representative national co-ordinating body for religious broadcasting, with defined duties, is acknowledged. Division of time allocation for religious broadcasting between the different religious groups should be mainly in accordance with accepted levels of membership at national, regional and local level. The need is acknowledged for broadcast agencies, or other qualified bodies, to make available the technology and production expertise required for religious broadcasting purposes. As suppliers of an important community service, religious groups should share in public assets such as funds, the means of production, and training for broadcast purposes. The right of religious groups to spend and manage funds for broadcasting, which have been made available to them or which they have raised for themselves, is acknowledged, subject to the general principles of fairness embodied in this Constitution. The freedom of religious groups to form associations, to negotiate collectively for broadcast time and resources, and to manage them collectively in a suitable manner, is acknowledged, subject to principle 13 below. Any religious group has the right to deal directly with any broadcasting agency.  In all instances the negotiations need to take place within the framework of the norms and practices agreed to by the Independent Forum. While fully acknowledging the creativity and artistic integrity of producers, the ultimate control of the theological integrity and authenticity of the message lies with the religious group concerned. Principles of justice, fairness and religious tolerance should govern all relationships between members of the Forum and between the religious community and the broadcasters.  The Forum sets out to conduct its business in that ethos. These principles should be followed in the selection, production, editing and prioritising of religious programmes, recognising the importance of local content and the needs of historically marginalised groups.    

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DESCRIPTION:

The IFRB is a body of official representatives of legally constituted and socially recognised religions or divisions (denominations) within such religions, assisted by religious councils (e.g. SACC), religious broadcasting associations* and public broadcasting agencies. 

The name shall be the Independent Forum for Religious Broadcasting. 

MEMBERSHIP: 

There shall be two categories of membership:  ordinary and associate. Ordinary members are the religious communities mentioned in the first half of 1.1, which act through their official representatives at Forum meetings, who have the right to speak, to vote, and to be eligible for election to the Board. Associate members are the religious councils, religious broadcasting associations and public broadcasting agencies mentioned in the second half of 1.1, present in the person of their official representatives at Forum meetings,  who have the right to speak but not to vote,  and may be co-opted to assist the Board as consultors. Member religions or their divisions (denominations) which can give evidence to the Board of having 100,000 adherents shall be entitled to one ordinary representative on the Forum, and an additional representative for every million adherents. For the purposes of determining ordinary membership the Board has the discretionary authority to recognise federations of religious groups of the same doctrinal and worship tradition (e.g. International Federation of Christian Churches). The Board may at its discretion admit as ordinary members historical religions or divisions thereof whose adherents in South Africa do not number the statutory 100,000 for the sake of having a more complete religious spectrum represented.   

*  A religious broadcasting association is an organisation brought into existence and maintained by a number of religious groupings (churches, denomination) who, on the basis of a common belief, freely co-operate to spread their message by means of the electronic media.  

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The number of representatives of associate members admitted for each organisation to a Forum meeting shall be at the discretion of the Board. 

FORUM MEETINGS: 

The Forum shall meet once a year on a date, at a time and place, and with an agenda determined by the Board. It lies within the competence of the Board to call further meetings of the Forum if the need arises. The Board shall give not less than two months’ notice of the annual statutory meeting, and not less than a month’s notice of further meetings of the Forum. 

FINANCE: 

The representatives of ordinary and associate members attending Forum meetings will be entirely financed by their sending authority. Religions and divisions of religions which are ordinary members to the Forum will be billed for an annual subscription as determined from time to time by the Board. Failure to pay within the year will lead to the suspension of voting powers at Forum meetings, and after two years to the cancellation of membership. It lies within the competence of the Board to seek further funding from public and private sources. The Board may request an annual donation from associate member organisations. The Board shall present an audited set of accounts, as well as a proposed budget for the forthcoming financial year at each annual statutory meeting, for discussion and approval at that meeting. The Board has the authority to open and manage bank accounts, make investments, acquire, bond and dispose of property, and provide for the administration of Forum funds. 

THE BOARD: 

The administration of the Forum shall rest with the Board. 

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5.1.1     The Board shall consist of a chairperson and fourteen members elected by the annual statutory meeting for a period of three years, with the proviso that there shall be at least one member from each of the African Traditional, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim religions. 

5.1.2     If a vacancy occurs on the Board between annual statutory meetings the Board may co-opt a replacement. 

5.1.3     The Board shall appoint a vice-chairperson form among its own numbers. 

5.1.4     If the Chair falls vacant between annual statutory meetings the vice-chairperson automatically takes up the position of chairperson and the Board appoints another of its members as vice-chairperson. 

5.1.5     The day by day running of the Board’s affairs shall be vested in an executive consisting of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson, an administrative official and another two Board members nominated by the Board. 

5.1.6     The Board shall meet at least four times a year, on a date, at a time and place, and with an agenda determined by the executive. 

5.1.7     Members and functionaries of the Board may be re-elected at the end of their period of office, but not to a subsequent term for the same office until a period of three years has elapsed. 

5.1.8     The expenses for the functioning of the Board shall be included in the annual budget, and be dispersed at the discretion of the Board’s executive.

5.2        FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD:

                 The functions of the Board are to 

5.2.1     Exercise overall concern with religious broadcasting, both policy and practice. 

5.2.2     Uphold the norms for religious broadcasting accepted by the Forum as a whole, in association with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), and in agreement with broadcasting agencies. 

5.2.3     Provide guidelines to agencies and broadcasters for the monitoring of programmes to ensure compliance with the above-mentioned norms and code of conduct. 

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5.2.4     Oversee the fair distribution of time allocated to religious broadcasting among the religious bodies. 

5.2.5     Encourage the development of creative religious broadcasting. 

5.2.6     Foster the use of the media to promote mutual understanding between religions. 

Promote genuine and fair participation of representatives of the religious communities in the public media debates on the life of the society. Advise on complaints, enquiries and recommendations by members of the public. 

5.2.9     Interact on behalf of religious bodies with the broadcasting agencies in terms of the partnership principles outlined in the Principles above.                       

5.2.10   Negotiate for public funds and participate in the management of funds made available for religious broadcasting. 

Report back to the respective religious bodies regularly and to the Forum annually. Encourage training for religious presenters and participants. Suggest to broadcasters general guidelines for panel discussions on religious topics. 

5.3        ADMINISTRATION:

5.3.1     The Board shall appoint at least one administrative official, full time or part time. 

The administrative official(s) shall maintain the Forum office and carry out such tasks as shall from time to time be determined by the chair-person. 

QUORUMS AND VOTING: 

A quorum at a Forum meeting is a half of the registered ordinary members. A quorum for a Board meeting is five members, apart from administrative personnel and consultors. 

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A quorum of the executive is three. 

6.4        Every effort is to be made to reach decisions by consensus;  but where this fails and recourse has to be had to voting, a half plus one of the representatives of ordinary members present shall constitute a majority, except in the case of the adoption of changes to the constitution, when a two thirds majority is required.             

DISSOLUTION:

A motion to dissolve the Forum must be passed by a two thirds majority of the  representatives of ordinary members present at a Forum meeting after three months’ notice thereof has been given to the ordinary members. The Forum shall cease to exist as a legal person three months after such a dissolution vote, during which time the Board shall close down the affairs of the Forum according to the guidelines given by the Forum. In the event of dissolution the remaining financial assets of the Forum shall be placed in a bursary trust for the education of religious media personnel at a South African University determined by the Board.   This revised Constitution was drawn up by the Chairperson, Rev. Fr Bonaventure Hinwood, OFM, edited and accepted by the Board, and finally approved by the Forum, 19 November, 2001.  Original

Constitution: Approved at the meeting of the Forum held on 27^th November, 1995.Changes, incorporated here, approved and accepted by the Forum, 19th November, 2001.  

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