SABC News staff and journalists as well as all news editors around the country at the public broadcaster, have allegedly been instructed this morning not to report anything about Julius Malema until SABC top management has instructed otherwise.
The total ban and blackout of news about the former ANC Youth leader, his whereabouts and what he's doing was apparently conveyed this morning to SABC news editors around the country.
It follows Tuesday's muzzling by the SABC of Julius Malema who was invited for an interview on MetroFM, only for the interview to be cancelled. Julius Malema then appeared on CNN International on Tuesday evening, talking to Christiane Amanpour.
"The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) is extremely concerned with what appears to be the censoring of the SABC"s news reports," says the SABC trade union in a just issued press statement.
"It has been reported to us by several of our members that they have been instructed to not report on ANY activities of the expelled ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema. The instruction went as far as to say that even if he is assassinated, or he dies in any other manner, it should not be reported on any SABC platform until Top Management has instructed otherwise."
"News staff have been warned also not to report on his whereabouts or what he is doing. This instruction apparently came from Solly Phetoe and Mike Seluma and was conveyed to all news editors around the country. A special meeting was called in some regions this morning to inform all news editors of this instruction."
"Bemawu regards this as a gross violation of the principles of journalism and also an attack on freedom of the press. As a public broadcaster the SABC is duty bound to report news in a fair, unbiased and accurate manner, and without influence from top or any other management of the SABC."
"We have informed our members to not comply with this unlawful instruction and to report the news of the day without fear or prejudice and to judge what should go on air purely on the news value and principles of the editorial policy of the SABC."
"This reminds Bemawu of the censoring of news by the apartheid government and total control of the public broadcaster by the ruling party. If management dare to touch any of our members ignoring this unlawful instruction, Bemawu will defend our members and take the matter to the highest court."
"We call on an urgent investigation of this sorry state of affairs at the public broadcaster and we demand that the strongest action be taken against those top managers responsible for this instruction."
The SOS Coalition, the massive public pressure group representing a vast number of stakeholders within South Africa's TV industry says the SOS Coalition - which just met last month with the SABC's CEO Lulama Mokhobo - is "indeed very worried about the latest developments. It seems that the crisis always finds a way to recycle itself at the SABC. We are worried that the chief financial officer was suspended and that the accounting officer - the group CEO - is also not held liable for the chaos at the SABC. The board as well seems to be on another level."
The trade union Mwasa says in a statement that "Mwasa fully supports the stated commitment to protecting the independence of professional journalists working for the SABC."
"The SABC Newsroom has been a controversial workplace for many decades. A comprehensive and inclusive purposeful discussion on the concept of journalistic-independence and questions around appreciation of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression,freedom of association and the right to choose and practice a profession including intellectual property rights must be prioritised."
"It is unacceptable that, both historically and even as we live, the SABC newsroom has efficiently stifled and smothered diversity of views and opinion where the dominant and preferred perception is that of an SABC that punts the ruling-party's stance on most matters of national interest and concern."
"Sadly the SABC newsroom has lost qualified and competent personnel and with that as well as the highly-priced credibility and integrity. Any broadcaster with a chequered and dodgy record in terms of credibility and integrity cannot claim support from its audiences."
I've reached out to the SABC for any possible comment on this serious allegation and will report the moment there's any possible response from the SABC on this fast developing story.
The SOS Coalition, the massive public pressure group representing a vast number of stakeholders within South Africa's TV industry says the SOS Coalition - which just met last month with the SABC's CEO Lulama Mokhobo - is "indeed very worried about the latest developments. It seems that the crisis always finds a way to recycle itself at the SABC. We are worried that the chief financial officer was suspended and that the accounting officer - the group CEO - is also not held liable for the chaos at the SABC. The board as well seems to be on another level."
The trade union Mwasa says in a statement that "Mwasa fully supports the stated commitment to protecting the independence of professional journalists working for the SABC."
"The SABC Newsroom has been a controversial workplace for many decades. A comprehensive and inclusive purposeful discussion on the concept of journalistic-independence and questions around appreciation of the fundamental rights to freedom of expression,freedom of association and the right to choose and practice a profession including intellectual property rights must be prioritised."
"It is unacceptable that, both historically and even as we live, the SABC newsroom has efficiently stifled and smothered diversity of views and opinion where the dominant and preferred perception is that of an SABC that punts the ruling-party's stance on most matters of national interest and concern."
"Sadly the SABC newsroom has lost qualified and competent personnel and with that as well as the highly-priced credibility and integrity. Any broadcaster with a chequered and dodgy record in terms of credibility and integrity cannot claim support from its audiences."
I've reached out to the SABC for any possible comment on this serious allegation and will report the moment there's any possible response from the SABC on this fast developing story.
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