Visionary Leadership Now.
That is the ''name'' of the public protest organised by South Africa's TV industry and coming to the SABC this Thursday 24 November at 13:00 at the SABC's Auckland Park headquarters in Henley Avenue in Johannesburg, as well as in Cape Town at the visitors' centre at parliament at the same time, where a memorandum will be handed over.
The public picketing, similar to the public protest that engulfed South Africa's public broadcaster in 2009, will be held under the banner of ''Visionary Leadership Now''. Public pressure groups and the industry are demanding the removal of dr Ben Ngubane, SABC chairperson.
Protesters asked to wear black and read and to bring placards also want more and better local content and the industry is asking for more strategic and accountable leadership at South Africa's public broadcaster plagued by management instability. Ordinary TV viewers and radio listeners are asked to join the public protest on Thursday.
''We want to tell the SABC 'we're watching you' and we demand something better. Much, much better,'' says Kate Skinner, coordinator of the Support Public Broadcasting (SOS) Coalition. The SOS says it is ''calling for all concerned citizens to join a picket outside the SABC calling for visionary leadership at South Africa's public broadcaster now.''
The SABC didn't respond to media enquiries made about the TV industry's demand that dr Ben Ngubane step down, or the planned public protest action scheduled for this Thursday.
