The SABC this afternoon apologised to the EFF political party's spokesperson Mbuyeseni Ndlozi for the "completely uncalled for and unprofessional" behaviour of The Newsroom anchor Eben Jansen on SABC News (DStv 404) last week during a shocking live interview which saw the anchor yanked off the air indefinitely.
"The behaviour of the host, Eben Jansen, was completely uncalled for and unprofessional," the SABC said in a statement.
"The SABC has instituted disciplinary and corrective measures to ensure that Eben Jansen understands the severity of his transgression."
Eben Jansen will remain off the air and will not appear on the SABC or SABC News "until news management deems it appropriate for his return," said the SABC.
"The presenter, Eben Jansen, and his behaviour is not something that we condone as the organisation. That is why we are apologising unreservedly to him and to his organisation, the EFF," says Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson.
"The SABC will not tolerate the kind of behaviour that was meted out to Mbuyeseni Ndlozi," says the SABC's group head executive for news Jimi Matthews in the statement.
"While it is appreciated that Eben Jansen has apologised for his poor professional conduct, corrective measures have been taken to ensure that such an incident never occurs again in the future."
Here is the on-air apology SABC News (DStv 404) made on Wednesday evening:
