Friday, May 4, 2018

The SABC to start the Akhumzi Jezile internship as the public broadcaster is criticised for memorial broadcast no-show.


The SABC has decided to start the The Akhumzi Jezile director internship at the same time as what the public broadcaster got pummeled by the public over its failure to broadcast the actor's memorial service.

On Thursday the SABC announced the new internship to honour the actor/producer who died last week, at the memorial service - ironically at the same that the struggling South African public broadcaster got casticated by the public for its failure to broadcast his memorial service on any of its public TV channels.

Milly Summergill, editorial editor for prime time entertainment at the SABC, announced at the podium at Akhumzi Jezile's memorial service that the Akhumzi Jezile Director Internship will be started to help producers and director "learn to empower themselves".

"Working with him all those years and watching him grow up in front of our eyes, he was a ball of energy. The SABC believed in Akhumzi. I believed in him," said Milly Summergill.

Adelaide Joshua-Hill, the head of content and platform at Urban Brew Studios said Akhumzi "made everybody feel special".

Clara Nzima, SABC1 channel head, in a somewhat rambling speech, said Akhumzi Jezile and the YO.TV youth slot presenters "were not celebrities, they were my children".

Ironically the SABC and Clara Nzima failed on Thursday to broadcast the memorial service of her child, something that got viewers fuming who started to slate the public broadcaster under "SABC is trash" on social media.

While both eNCA (DStv 403) and Afro Worldview (DStv 405) showed large parts of the memorial service, the SABC News channel and the SABC's three terrestrial TV channels did nothing. The SABC didn't explain why it didn't televise the memorial service of one of its own on-air stars and who was known to millions of viewers for many years.

"SABC representative: We should keep his memory alive. Me: Where? If you can't even air his bloody memorial!" remarked Nomfundo Madonsela.

"I thought Akhumzi's memorial will be aired on SABC1. SABC is so ungrateful. They use people but not showing appreciation. This is disgusting. I'm hurt. Akhumzi worked for SABC for years in many different fields but he is unnoticed by the broadcaster," said Xhanti Qotoyi.

"I'm disgusted that Akhumzi's memorial wasn't broadcast on any of the SABC channels especially after he dedicated so many years of his life to the SABC. Many of us grew up and saw him grow and the SABC couldn't even honour him properly. Wow," said Sheldon Cameron.

"Akhumzi literally grew up on SABC1 and brought millions of viewers to their channel, and they couldn't have the decency to broadcast his memorial? Talk about tasteless and ungrateful," wrote Thapelo Mokhele.

"SABC doesn't understand that we all wanted closure," said Primrose Mimi.

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