"South African media need to be regulated," the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng told parliament on Tuesday.
It's the third time Hlaudi Motsoeneng, mired in a protracted court case regarding his appointment as COO of the SABC, called for South Africa's media to be regulated and for journalists to be "licensed".
"I think it's very important that all people should be regulated. What we're trying to say here is we need people to be professional when they do their work."
"You know, some people talk about sources. What is sources? Those sources they should be credible. Journalists they should go and be able to go there and verify the facts. Not just the sources that are not even credible. Sometimes are misleading," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "There is nothing wrong with it."
Hlaudi Motsoeneng's "regulation" plea was rebuffed in parliament by Gavin Davis‚ the Democratic Alliance (DA) member of parliament saying that it "is the kind of nonsense that has made Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the SABC a laughing stock across South Africa. If anybody needs to be 'regulated' it is Hlaudi Motsoeneng himself".
"Every time Hlaudi opens his mouth‚ he damages the credibility of our public broadcaster," said Gavin Davis.
"It was also cause for concern that Hlaudi Motsoeneng appeared to be "dictating SABC editorial policy".
"This is particularly so in the light of the SABC missing the deadline to review its editorial policy by six years. The SABC was supposed to have reviewed its editorial policy - with input from the public - by 2009," said Gavin Davis.
In a separate statement‚ AfriForum said Hlaudi Motsoeneng's attack on Monday and Tuesday on media freedom should be regarded as a "wake-up call for the reinforcement of independent media institutions".
