The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party says Naspers' satellite pay-TV business, MultiChoice has this month refused the DA's request for the full report on its payments to the controversial "Gupta News" ANN7 (DStv 405) channel and that MultiChoice says it doesn't recognise "public interest as a right.
MultiChoice told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry asking about the Democratic Alliance's statement, that the DA's comments are misleading.
It has also come to light that the meeting of the portfolio committee on communications scheduled in parliament for this week that was supposed to be attended by MultiChoice, ANN7 and the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), has been postponed.
Humphrey Maxegwana, chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on communications, said that the meeting to hear from MultiChoice, ANN7 and Icasa what is going on, had been postponed without giving any reason as to why this week's meeting was abruptly cancelled.
Phumzile Van Damme, a Democratic Alliance member of parliament (MP) on Wednesday said that MultiChoice has refused the DA's request for the full report on its payments to ANN7 allegedly to influence government policy on digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration in its favour.
"MultiChoice states that it is under no legal obligation to make the report public, and furthermore does not recognise 'public interest' as a recognised right," said Phumzile Van Damme.
"Last month the DA submitted an application to MultiChoice in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) for the full report compiled by its Audit and Risk Committee, to be made public, following MultiChoice's internal investigation into payments to the Gupta-linked ANN7.
"The press conference in January announcing its findings was scant on detail, vaguely admitting 'mistakes were made', and holding no-one accountable," said Phumzile Van Damme.
"No information was provided for the reasons for the payments to ANN7 first at R25 million, increased to R50 million and then R141 million."
"The DA believes that the public needs to know the full truth about the dealings between MultiChoice, ANN7 and indeed the SABC, and whether MultiChoice, a private company, engaged in 'policy capture' by paying inducements to influence government policy in its favour."
The matter is currently before Icasa's Complaints and Compliance Committee.
MultiChoice told TVwithThinus that "The DA's comments in regards to the PAIA application are misleading".
"MultiChoice has declined to provide access to documentation requested by the DA under PAIA. It has done so because the DA has not shown that it has a right to access the report under that Act. The documentation has also been refused on various other grounds, including that the documentation also contains protected commercial information and is legally privileged."
MultiChoice says the Democratic Alliance's application "is without merit".
Meanwhile Phumzile Van Damme also revealed that MultiChoice's refusal to make its full interla report into ANN7 public, coincides with the cancellation of a scheduled meeting in parliament this week that was to be attended by MultiChoice and ANN7 executives, as well as Icasa.
"When requesting the reason for the cancellation of the meeting, my colleague Veronica van Dyk, was told by the chairperson of the committee, Humphrey Maxegwana, that changes were made to the programme and the meeting would be rescheduled in the near future," said Phumzile Van Damme.
"The Democratic Alliance objected to this, as all parties in the committee, including the ABC, has agreed that the matter relating to MultiChoice was urgent, and needed to be dealt with as a priority. A meeting where a parliamentary inquiry, as ordered by the Speaker's office in August 2017, into Faith Muthambi's role in State Capture was due to be discussed, also mysteriously disappeared from the committee's programme."
"It therefore seems that all Gupta-related meetings are being kicked for touch and delayed in perpetuity as is sometimes teh case when dealing with uncomfortable matters at the communications committee. This has no doubt been exacerbated by reports today revealing the direct involvement of former president Jacob Zuma in the setting up of ANN7," said Phumzile Van Damme.
"The Democratic Alliance will continue to be relentless in its push for both meetings to be held, and inquiries conducted. Jacob Zuma must also be subpoenaed to appear before parliament to explain his role in the saga".
"The DA will not rest until the full truth is revealed about both policy and State Capture involving the department of communications, its entities, and the industry it regulates".
