Love this. Michael from George calls ANN7 asks why they aren't showing #SABCinquiry, says they're biased and calls them a bunch of wankers. pic.twitter.com/hTQxkPaf62— Mike Davies (@AfricaAnalyst) December 12, 2016
In yet another jaw-dropping on-air faux pas a
viewer called ANN7 (DStv 405) "a bunch of wankers" for the failure of the
Guptas' TV news channel to show the ongoing SABC inquiry.
In yet another bisarre ANN7 on-air incident,
a viewer, Michael from George, called in on Monday and slammed the TV news
channel from Infinity Media, carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV
platform, as "a bunch of wankers" for not showing the SABC inquiry.
SABC News (DStv 404) and eNCA (DStv 403) both
broadcast the shocking and revealing testimony from a litany of witnesses about
the allegations of corruption, fraud and the collapse of governance at the
South African public broadcaster on Monday, while ANN7 had a panel discussion
about the price of milk.
"Why don’t you broadcast that parliamentary
thing on the SABC?" asked Michael.
The stunned Sindy Mabe, formerly on-air at
the SABC and e.tv and who recently jumped to ANN7, told the viewer "you
obviously missed it Michael, but what is your real question?"
"No, it is on now! It is on now!" said
Michael. "We also have programming, Michael," blurted Sindy Mabe.
"You’re just biased aren't you? You're such a
bunch of wankers, you know that? The SABC – " and then he was abruptly cut off.
Sindy Mabe deadpanned: "Michael, you obviously don't
care what the price of milk is".
Corruption: SABC destroyed from within
On Monday in parliament, witnesses slammed
and implicated the Gupta owned The New Age (sister newspaper to ANN7) in
attempts to capture the SABC's SABC News division and for money being funneled
from the SABC to ANN7.
The SABC's former head of technology, Sipho
Masinga, told parliament how, before ANN7 was launched as a MultiChoice
channel, he was in a meeting with Nazeem Howa who had a 3-page document
detailing how it wanted to take over, run and rebrand the SABC's news.
"I couldn't believe it," said Sipho Masinga. "The
New Age wanted to take over and manage SABC News with the SABC that has to
supply the staff. The New Age tried to take over SABC News and rebrand
it".
"I knew if I opened the door (to the Guptas) that we were going to have problems." Sipho Masinga testified that Hlaudi Motsoeneng left the room just before The New Age document with the proposed take-over of SABC news was given to him.
"I knew if I opened the door (to the Guptas) that we were going to have problems." Sipho Masinga testified that Hlaudi Motsoeneng left the room just before The New Age document with the proposed take-over of SABC news was given to him.
ANN7 was later launched as Infinity Media's
own TV news channel that belongs to Oakbay Investments, the same as The New
Age.
Later during the day, the freelance SABC
contributing editor Vuyo Mvoko – who was effectively fired as one of the
so-called "#SABC8" earlier this year for speaking out against Hlaudi
Motsoeneng’s TV news censorship decree – also slammed ANN7.
Vuyo Mvoko testified that money that should be
coming to the SABC is being funneled to rival broadcaster ANN7 through the
controversial The New Age Breakfast Briefings broadcast on SABC2's Morning
Live.
"What SABC executives haven't informed you about is they have allowed SABC money to be used to build a rival channel – ANN7."
"Yet, the money the owners of TNA make, none of it – not a cent – goes to the SABC. From the millions they make through sponsorship, to the tables they sell at those breakfasts – they do not take any of that to the SABC except, perhaps, to the people who make things happen for them."
Vuyo Mvoko said Morning Live resources – SABC resources and budget – are diverted to pay for the production costs of the breakfast briefing broadcasts, while The New Age gets the money and dividends from the events.
Vuyo Mvoko said the SABC's TV news bulletins and current affairs programmes "are bleeding ARs (audience ratings)" because of the reputation and credibility damage the SABC has inflicted on its brand.
Vuyo Mvoko said The New Age actually wanted to do more than just the breakfast briefings and proposed "provincial The New Age breakfast briefing broadcast weeks" that would financially cripple the SABC even more.
"Someone is being enriched further at the expense of the public broadcaster," said Vuyo Mvoko. "Corruption is taking place; the public broadcaster is being destroyed from within."
"What SABC executives haven't informed you about is they have allowed SABC money to be used to build a rival channel – ANN7."
"Yet, the money the owners of TNA make, none of it – not a cent – goes to the SABC. From the millions they make through sponsorship, to the tables they sell at those breakfasts – they do not take any of that to the SABC except, perhaps, to the people who make things happen for them."
Vuyo Mvoko said Morning Live resources – SABC resources and budget – are diverted to pay for the production costs of the breakfast briefing broadcasts, while The New Age gets the money and dividends from the events.
Vuyo Mvoko said the SABC's TV news bulletins and current affairs programmes "are bleeding ARs (audience ratings)" because of the reputation and credibility damage the SABC has inflicted on its brand.
Vuyo Mvoko said The New Age actually wanted to do more than just the breakfast briefings and proposed "provincial The New Age breakfast briefing broadcast weeks" that would financially cripple the SABC even more.
"Someone is being enriched further at the expense of the public broadcaster," said Vuyo Mvoko. "Corruption is taking place; the public broadcaster is being destroyed from within."
