| Lumko
Caesario Mtimde is a graduate of the University
of the Western Cape
and the University of South Africa where he completed a BSc.
degree in Physiology and Biochemistry and
a Postgraduate Diploma in Telecommunications
and Information Policy respectively. He also
completed the Executive Development Programme
through NetTel@Africa (LTA, Lesotho).
His
experience include working as a Communication
Development Consultant after leaving the
Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
accordingly did some work for, among others,
Open Society Institute of Southern Africa
(OSISA), AMARC Africa, SACOD, Article 19
and the Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism of South Africa.
From
2001 - 2002, he served as a General Manager
/ Chief Director (Broadcasting Policy) of
the Department of Communications, Ministry
of Communications.
Before
that, he served the IBA, as a Councillor
from 1998 to 2000, following his appointment
by the then South African President Nelson
Mandela, in terms of the IBA Act. This followed
after four and a half years serving as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the National
Community Radio Forum (NCRF). He served
as Vice President (Southern and Eastern
Africa) of the World Association of Community
Radio Broadcasting (AMARC), President of
AMARC Africa and as a Vice President (Africa)
of the International Board of Directors
of AMARC based in Montreal, Canada
until 1998. He was also an Executive Member
of the South African Chapter of the Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). He
was also once a member of the Freedom of
Expression Institute (FXI).
In
1995, he received the World Solidarity Award
at Gorhe
Island, Senegal, on behalf of the NCRF from
AMARC. He is also a founder member of National
Community Media Forum (NCMF), the National
Community Radio Forum (NCRF), Bush Radio
(the first Community Radio in South
Africa) and AMARC Africa
(the organization of Community Radio in
Africa).
He also served on the Broadcasting Policy
Stakeholders Advisory Committee following
his appointment to the Committee by the
then Minister of Communications, Jay Naidoo.
Generally,
he has traveled extensively around the world
on broadcasting and telecommunications-related
missions, and has wide experience in broadcasting
policy issues, telecommunications policy
issues and is one of the long serving Council
members of the communications regulator.
Besides his communications policy and regulatory
experience, organizational experience and
general management experience, in the past
he served in the student leadership, as
a student activist. He is passionate about
community development, universal service
and access of communication services.
In
2002, he was appointed by President Thabo
Mbeki to serve ICASA as a Councillor for
a 4 years term of office until 2006, in
terms of the ICASA Act of 2000. He was also
a member of the Board of the Institute for
the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) until
November 2006. During his term at ICASA,
he also served as the Vice-Chairman of Telecommunications
Regulatory Association of Southern Africa
(TRASA) based in Botswana,
now called CRASA. He also served in the
NetTel@Africa Executive Council, as Deputy
Chairperson and Acting Chairperson. He also
represented ICASA, as a member of the ICT
BEE Steering Committee, which developed
the ICT BEE Charter.
Recently,
he was awarded:
A
Community Radio Excellence Award, in recognition
of his continuous support for the sector
in the African continent, by AMARC Africa
in Kenya, Nairobi,
April 2005.
An
Acknowledgement Award as a former CEO of
the NCRF, in acknowledgement of invaluable
contribution to the development of Community
Radio in S.A. by NCRF,
November 2007.
A
Community Radio Honorary Award for the advancement
of Community Radio in S.A., by the NCRF,
November 2007.
At
present, Mtimde is a member of the Board
of Advisors of Unitech and Advisory Board
of the UNISA Communication Sciences. He
also servers as an advisor to Worldspace
S.A on the African regulatory framework.
He also serves on the Grand Jury of the
Woprld Summit Awards ( WSA ) 2007 as a national
expect and a spokeperson for Africa ,initiated
by Austria
in 2003 as a contribution to the United
Nations’ World Summit on the Information
Society.
He is also one of the High Level Panel of
Advisors of the Global Alliance for ICT
and Development, launched by the then Secretary
General of the United Nations, Mr.
Kofi Annan in March 2006, as nominated by
the WSA Board.
He is also a member of the New
York based NABU
Advisory
Council of Experts,
which is an international organisation that
promotes the United Nationas Millennium
Development Goals.
On
the full time basis, he is the Chief
Executive Officer of the Media Development
and Diversity Agency (MDDA), a development
agency set up to develop media diversity,
as partnership between the South African
Government and major print and broadcasting
companies, and to assist in developing community
and small commercial media in South Africa,
in terms of the MDDA Act No. 14 of 2002.
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