eNCA (DStv 403) says it is "dealing with" Nickolaus Bauer internally after he became the latest eNCA reporter to damage the TV news channel's brand reputation with an online, social media mistake when he tweeted photos of the old South African flag taken in 2010 without checking.
Mapi Mhlangu, eNCA's managing director and editor-in-chief, said in a statement on Tuesday evening that the news channel is "apologising unreservedly for our reporter's error" and that eNCA remains committed to providing the "unbiased, truthful, and accurate news coverage the channel has long been known for".
Mapi Mhlangu says eNCA takes Nickolaus Bauer's violation of a fundamental element of journalism - fact-checking before distributing or passing on information - seriously.
The brouhaha started when reporter Nickolaus Bauer on Monday tweeted photos - without checking - that was not part of Monday's "Black Monday" protests, yet linked it to the the Black Monday protests organised against farm killings and questioned the motives of some of the people participating in the protests.
One photo Nickolaus Bauer tweeted was of people wearing clothes branded with the old South African flag.
On Tuesday's front page of The Star, the newspaper co-incidentally used the same picture, without James Oatway's permission, credit or proper caption.
Another photo Nickolaus Bauer tweeted was in which someone was burning the current South African flag.
In reality the photographs were not taken on Monday or linked to Monday's Black Monday protests, but by James Oatway, who pointed the errors out after the photos began circulating widely on social media.
Nickolaus Bauer has since deleted the tweet.
He later admitted that he "severely erred", although "the message remains relevant".
On Twitter South Africans criticised the reporter and eNCA for the lack of fact-checking.
"Terribly disappointed Nickolaus Bauer that no fact checking happened, just sensational race baiting in a racially divided country. Not cool," said Tracey Shaw.
"At eNCA we have always prided ourselves on our commitment to truth and accurate reporting," says Mapi Mhlangu.
"Our guiding principle at eNCA has always been that reportage which does not meet the channel's stringent editorial standards cannot go on air, and therefore also cannot appear online."
"Reportage is not the same as opinion and we have consistently signaled the difference between these aspects of eNCA's work, both on television and across its online platform."
Mapi Mhlangu says eNCA is "dealing with Nickolaus Bauer's conduct internally. Until this process is complete, we will not be drawn further on this issue."
eNCA isn't a stranger to social media controversy that the channel's on-air talent caused.
In 2012 the then sports anchor Lance Witten was abruptly suspended after hurtful and inappropriate tweets following out-of-line and insensitive death tweet jokes after the Linkin Park concert structure collapse tragedy in Cape Town.
