The EFF has rejected Icasa's charity‚ saying the free TV and radio ad slots it is giving away are a “waste of time”.This on Wednesday when the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) invited parties to a lucky draw in Johannesburg to allocate the free ad slots on SABC outlets. Icasa said it is an attempt to give all parties contesting the August municipal elections a chance to speak to the population. But Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) national elections spokesperson Veronica Mente said‚ “This exercise here is a waste of time. It doesn't speak to the needs [of parties].” Though the airtime is free‚ parties must bankroll the ads themselves – meeting the technical production standards of the stations to which they are assigned.All parties will be allocated a basic two-hour slot on a national radio station in the draw. During this slot an ad‚ not longer than one minute‚ created by the party will be played at least once.Time on regional radio stations and on TV channels are allocated proportionately‚ according to the number of seats a party holds in district and local government.The allocation of TV channels and radio stations are literally the luck of the draw.Mente said the allocation system is unfair and that the little airtime given to parties doesn't cut it.“What's happening here is not even meeting our expectations. There are four other parties in the same slot as mine – it's nothing.”“Anything proportional is never fair. It [benefits] whoever is already winning.“I thought we would be given an hour interview‚ not an ad. Now they are putting us in a box – you must compile something regulated‚ that meets certain standards. Not all of us can afford that. It's very much expensive.“Most of these parties are independent. They are people contesting one ward. Where will those people get the resources to create an ad for one ward?”Mente also lambasted the random draw‚ saying that some parties were allocated stations their constituencies are unlikely to listen to.Other parties joined Mente in blasting Icasa's handout.Ector Manganyi of the International Revelation Congress (IRC)‚ contesting about 160 wards in Gauteng‚ Limpopo and the North West‚ said that the free airtime meant nothing to his party‚ which cannot afford to produce its own ad.“It's not fair for smaller parties. It's not helping us... It looks like they sat down with the ANC and manipulated the system.”Mente said the EFF had not produced any TV ads yet but that it had planned to do so in the final three weeks leading up to the elections.Raleigh Ellis of the Agenda to Citinry Governance‚ a small party based in the North West and Gauteng‚ said his party members would have to take money out of their own pockets to produce an ad that meets professional industry standards.Rubben Mohlaloga of Icasa said that it had consulted with the public extensively before finalising the regulations governing the ad allocation process.“The exercise we are following is an exercise where we are trying to be fair. It is your good luck or bad luck. Talk to your ancestors and maybe you get it right.“If they [parties] feel the slots that they got doesn't speak to their constituencies it is up to them to decide what to do.”Some parties threatened to march to Icasa's offices to protest against the allocation system‚ to which Mohlaloga responded‚ saying: “We have allocated them free airtime. That's as far as we can go. They have money to register‚ they must have money to produce ads.”The African National Congress‚ the Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party were among the many parties who were not represented at the draw.The final slot allocation schedule will be made available on Icasa's website.The parties' election ads will be aired from July 12. The last ad will be broadcast 48 hours before election day...