This executive decision which will see the fiefdom of the SABC's news and current affairs division grow further as it extends its editorial control and reach within the SABC, follows the massive controversy which was unleashed after newspaper journalists and editors were first invited, then dumped, from a SAFM talk show a week ago because the SABC decided at the last minute that a representative of the ANC ruling party needs to be present.
The SABC says in a late statement on Tuesday night that the decision to seize editorial control of talk shows dealing with politics and governance which will now resort under news and current affairs "will help the SABC to deliver on the requirements of the editorial policy" as set out in the Broadcasting Act of 1999.
The SABC has been without its head of news and current affairs, Phil Molefe for the biggest part of the year, after Phil Molefe was summarily placed on "special leave" earlier in 2012, pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing which indefinitely kept getting postponed.
The SABC only mentions radio and isn't saying what the situation is regarding talk shows on television discussing politics and goverment.
The SABC's acting chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng - and not the SABC's CEO Lulama Mokhobo, is quoted in the SABC press release.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng who famously doesn't have matric and has been centre stage in 2012 in several controversal issues at the beleaguered public broadcaster, says "this decision will help us to have a centralised way of dealing with issues of political and governance nature in a coherent and systematic way and in line with our editorial policy."
In the statement the SABC says the public broadcaster "has the responsibility of presenting a balanced and impartial view of any news events or topics. It is therefore important for news and current affairs to be the custodian of all the talk shows that are dealing with political and governance issues in all its 18 radio stations."
"This will go a long way in assisting the organisation to be accountable to the public and have proper controls," says the SABC. "It will also help the SABC to have consistency and similar editorial direction in all the radio stations."
