Lumko Mtimde

Chief Executive Officer, Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA)

Born 22-07-1967 in Katlehong South Africa

Lumko Mtimde, the CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), a development agency set up to develop, promote and support media development and diversity, as partnership between the South African Government and major print and broadcasting companies, in terms of the MDDA Act No. 14 of 2002. He 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), 3 Day MBA in Leadership (Terrapin Training) and Strategic Leadership Academy (Regal Exchange, UK.He served the Independent Broadcasting Authority, as a Councillor from 1998 to 2000, following his appointment by the then South African President Nelson Mandela, in terms of the IBA Act. From 2001 - 2002, he served as a General Manager / Chief Director (Broadcasting Policy) of the Department of Communications, Ministry of Communications. 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. Mtimde is a member of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Board and the World Summit Awards (WSA) Board based in Austria, a global initiative to select and promote the world’s best econtent, started in 2003 as a contribution to the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society - WSIS. He is also a member of the Media Advertising Information and Communication Technology Sector Education and Training Agency (MICT SETA) Board and the Eastern Cape Information Technology Initiative (ECITI) Board. He served a number of other Boards including, the Board of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) until November 2006. During his term at ICASA, he also served as the Vicechairman 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. He also serves on the Grand Jury of the World Summit Awards (WSA) 2007 & 2009 as a Judge, a national expert and a spokesperson for Africa. Mtimde also served as a Judge for the SABC News Awards 2008. 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. In 2011, he served as a Judge for the prestigious Most Influential Women in Business and Government Awards (MIW) held by CEO Communications.Before 1998, he was a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF). He also 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). 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. He was also part of the Working Group and the country delegation which attended the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC 01 and RRC 02) in Geneva, which prepared for the digital broadcasting migration. 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.