A South African speaker discussed the role of broadcasting in shaping the new government in her native country, and her hopes for the future, Wednesday afternoon.

Lyndall Shope-Mafole, a councillor with the Independent Broadcasting Authority of South Africa addressed a university for the first time as she spoke of her homeland to SIUC administrators and students .

This is quite a day for me, she said. This is the first time I’ve addressed a university at all.

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The crowd of about 40 university administrators and students listened as Shope-Mafole spoke candidly about the new government in her homeland and the problems which they face.

Our government of national unity has a very important objective, she said. We have to work together. We have too much invested in this democracy. This is why we are trying very hard and are hopeful that this national unity of government will work.

She discussed more specifically the role of broadcasting in the new South Africa.

My personal opinion is that broadcasting has a duty to represent everyone, she said. South Africa is divided into nine provinces, and before the elections, the only languages that could be heard over the radio and on television in all nine provinces were English and Afrikaans. I believe that broadcasting has a duty to make sure all the languages are heard in all parts of the country.

Shope-Mafole has lived in exile from South Africa until just recently, living in the countries of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Egypt, Czechoslovakia , the United States and Cuba, where she completed graduate work in telecommunications engineering.

I’ve been very fortunate in life, she said. I’ve been in so many different places that I’ve almost seen it all.

Students said they enjoyed the speech and were amazed by Shope-Mafole’s experiences.

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I was extremely impressed with Ms. Mafole’s credentials, said Eric Voss, a senior history major from Canton, Missouri.

It was very interesting what she had to say, said Lorne House, a senior journalism major from Waukegan. She talked about some things I was unaware of.

Shope-Mafole stressed the importance of assistance in making the new South African democracy work.

We need a lot of training, for we don’t have all the skills necessary to make the new government successful, she said. But we’re very hopeful.