The SABC has again banned yet another paid-for political party TV commercial, this time the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which the SABC once again is saying is "inciting violence".
The SABC's banning of the Democratic Alliance (DA) paid-for political TV commercial saw the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) order the SABC to play the DA advert until such time as the SABC can actually provide documents and proper reasoning as to how and why the public broadcaster pulled the commercial off the air.
Now the SABC went and banned a second TV commercial after having been unable to provide Icasa with reasons and documentation of why, how and the process it followed for pulling the DA political advert off the air.
The EFF advert contains some of the same content regarding the police and the same image in the commercial as the DA advert. The EFF commercial which has victims of the Marikana bloodbath speaking, also in text asks voters to destroy the e-tolling system.
The SABC tells TV with Thinus in response to a media enquiry that the EFF advert was banned "amongst other reasons, as there is a clear incitement to violence in the ad, with the statement 'Destroy e-tolls physically".
"This statement in our view is promoting a criminal activity, which is not permitted in terms of the Icasa regulations. Icasa has been informed," says Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson.
"Again the reason the SABC gives is incitement to violence. Again the images used are all in the public domain and it seems difficult to imagine how they could be said to be inciting violence," says William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA).
"Perhaps the only one which might raise an issue is the message at the end to destroy e-tolls physically. But that I am sure is intended to be read as what they would do if elected".
"Either way it is once again deeply disappointing and we hope the EFF lodges a complaint as a matter of urgency. In the interim we call on the SABC to urgently and without delay broadcast the advertisements and follow and adhere to their existing editorial policies and the elections regulations," says William Bird.
