South Africa's biggest trade union movement, Cosatu, is denouncing the pay the TV operator TopTV's highly controversial plans to broadcast hardcore pornography in South Africa and is now urging Kopano ke Matla Investment Company, a shareholder in TopTV to no longer invest in On Digital Media (ODM) which runs the TopTV platform.
TopTV is awaiting a decision by South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on whether or not TopTV can launch a stand-alone porn package consisting of the hardcore channels Adult XXX, Private Spice and Playboy Europe for a separate subscription fee of R199 per month. TopTV's CEO Vino Govender said at launch in May 2010 said it would not broadcast pornography.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says the trade union movement is ''totally opposed to such channels, which we believe will reinforce sexist attitudes and encourage the abuse of women, which is already a massive problem''.
In a strongly worded letter to Collin Matjila, the CEO of Kopano ke Matla Investment Company, Cosatu demands that the plan for the pornographic channels be scrapped or that Kopano ke Matla Investment Company disinvest its shareholding in TopTV.
Kopano le Matla Investment Company manages some of Cosatu's capital. ''Such programmes will contribute to a lowering of moral standards in the country and further erode the revolutionary morality of our struggle movement,'' says Cosatu in the letter. ''So, it can be seen as Cosatu's money used to invest in TopTV, therefore we call on the scrapping of these three channels.''
TopTV's proposed porn package has been met with widespread public opposition in South Africa, as well as criticism from several faith-based groups including Christians, Muslims and Hindu and the Film and Publication Board (FPB).
