Shoreline and SABC3 has been reprimanded by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) after the documentary show about South Africa's coastline has been found guilty of contravening the broadcasting code by having a presenter likening the Christian sacrament of communion with cannibalism.
In an episode of Shoreline broadcast on Sunday 21 October at 18:00 Gavin Whitelaw made comments which prompted complaints to the BCCSA.
The SABC admitted before the BCCSA that "the way in which the presenter juxtaposed real cannibalism with communion made no clear reference to symbolism and in this he may have unwittingly caused offense to some Christians."
Shoreline, produced by Homebrew Films, and SABC3 will remove the offending passage from all rebroadcasts in future.
"The comment of the presenter in the programme under discussion, that Communion amounts to cannibalism, although made bona fide, is regarded as untrue of a crucial aspect of Christian religion," the BCCSA says in its judgement.
"In the light of the fact that the error clearly amounted to a bona fide, though negligent, error, and because of the steps taken by the SABC, we believe that a reprimand will suffice in the present instance," says the BCCSA in the judgement.
