The SABC’s last-minute cancellation of a MetroFM discussion on the upcoming ANC national elective conference was widely criticised on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Democratic Alliance communications spokeswoman, MP Marian Shinn, called for SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng to be removed from his “news oversight role”.<\/p>\n
“While, at this stage, there is no confirmation that he had a direct hand in pulling the MetroFM show at the last minute, he bears the responsibility for the news operation and its current trend of nurse-maiding the reputation of President Jacob Zuma,” Shinn said in a statement.<\/p>\n
She criticised Motsoeneng for the SABC’s decision to stop using the terms “Nkandlagate” and “compound” when referring to President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence, and for not running a Fish and Chip Company advert featuring a cartoon version of Zuma.<\/p>\n
Shinn said she would ask the SABC board to remove Motsoeneng.<\/p>\n
Congress of the People MP Juli Kilian also criticised the decision to pull the advert and argued it violated the law.<\/p>\n
“In the absence of an acceptable explanation and appropriate corrective action, Cope will bring the matter to [Independent Communications Authority of South Africa] for a formal investigation into a breach of the public broadcaster’s licence conditions,” Kilian said in a statement.<\/p>\n
She said if the SABC board did not “rein in its senior management” the party would insist on the dismissal of the board next year.<\/p>\n
Motsoeneng told reporters the show was pulled because it should have invited a representative from the ANC to participate. Shinn dismissed this explanation.<\/p>\n
“Since when must an actuality programme between recognised senior journalists be moderated by the presence of an ANC political deployee? Surely this is not the Kremlin,” she said.<\/p>\n
The ANC Youth League called the cancellation of the interviews “tragic” and “censorship”.<\/p>\n
“The [SABC] consistently fails to uphold objectivity in the execution of its mandate, and has become a ridiculous pawn in the political theatre they are expected to impartially report on,” the youth league said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The league called on the SABC to provide “fair and objective reporting” ahead of Mangaung.<\/p>\n
The Cape Town Press Club said in a statement: “We are deeply disturbed by this apparent example of blatant censorship, something which is an insult to the public’s right to know.”<\/p>\n
SABC bans Zuma ad: report<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n