by Thinus Ferreira
eNCA (DStv 403) says its maligned morning anchors Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton have not been suspended although the embattled South African TV news channel isn't explaining their on-air absence the past two days after their in-bulletin commentary and next-day apology ignited a firestorm of ongoing eNCA credibility and brand damage.
Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton are gone and didn't anchor their usual morning TV news slot on eNCA on Wednesday or Thursday but eNCA tells TVwithThinus neither have been suspended.
In a terse response on Wednesday night in response to a media enquiry, Norman Ndivhuho Munzhelele, eNCA managing director, said that "eNCA anchors Jane Dutton and Xoli Mngambi have not been suspended".
"This is an internal matter and remains between the employer and employees. The employer wishes to respect the rights of the employees in this regard."
On Tuesday eNCA forced Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton to make an on-air apology after their FOX News-like speculative on-air commentary when they opened their TV news slot on Monday morning and slammed the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa who was called "publicly emasculated" and minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The anchors said the president and minister have "duped" the public" and that South Africa was becoming "a police state under the renegade ministers".
The eNCA on-air comments came without warning or being qualifying as editorial for viewers.
On Monday morning Jane Dutton on eNCA started the broadcast hour, saying: ""A reminder of who's controlling South Africa's narrative right now - not the president but minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. How? She used her power and considerable influence to ensure the ban on cigarettes would continue".
"Why did she do that? Is it because the president is popular right now? Or is it a reminder that the party politics at Luthuli House, the rivalry there, is still very much at play?" editorialised Xoli Mngambi.
Jane Dutton suggested that "While Cyril Ramaphosa has been publicly emasculated, we the public have been duped. How can you discard what the president said just because 2 000 people were against it? And how many more people wanted the sales ban lifted?
In her on-air rant Jane Dutton said "It's the same warped throught-process behind the limited exercise-regime".
Xoli Mngambi opined that "There are fears we are becoming a police state under the control of the renegate ministers and our security forces - bullying at the top and bullying at the bottom. The president now needs to take back that power."
"Can he?" Jane Dutton wondered aloud. "This is a tipping point." She had more rhetorical questions: "If he can't deal with something like this, how will he overcome the economic challenges and lead the country out of this turbulent period?" she wondered.
The anchor-duo made things worse through a half-hearted apology on Tuesday, trying to walk back what they said the day before, angering a whole new different set of viewers.
On Tuesday In their on-air mea cupla Jane Dutton said "yesterday we made a rather unfortunate judgment on the president and the cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma".
"Singling her out on the decision if it were her own was unfair and unwarranted - especially after Cyril Ramaphosa had provided clarity on the matter."
Xoli Mngambi climed in, saying: "As is practice here at eNCA we as news anchors are allowed to make commentary on any matter of national importance and this is done purely to encourage debate. It is not done out of malice or to personalise attacks on a particular leader."
"We've earned your trust and we're not about to disappoint you now at a time when the president and his team are leading us through one of the most difficult times of our country. Again, we apologise unreservedly to you, Mister President, you minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and indeed the nation," Xoli Mngambi told viewers.
Broadcasting Code: Comment inside news a no-no
eNCA made use of unproven statements building a narrative for which there is no substantiating facts, as well as firing off rhetorical questions hanging in the air - exactly similar in style to how opinion hosts on the FOX News channel in the United States do their commentary-laced shows.
According to South Africa's Broadcasting Code of Conduct, pay-TV channels like eNCA "must report news truthfully, accurately and fairly" and news "must be presented in the correct context and in a fair manner, without intentional or negligent departure from the facts, whether by distortion, exaggeration or misrepresentation, material omissions or summarisation".
The Code states that "Comment must be an honest expression of opinion and must be presented in such manner that it appears clearly to be comment, and must be made on facts truly stated or fairly indicated and referred to".
It's still unclear as to why the eMedia Investments channel produced for MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service has started to do in-news opinion and commentary when it's not allowed to and started to emulate the FOX News-style of opinion-infused comment on news instead of just reporting the news.
As the viewership of rival TV news channels like SABC News and Newzroom Afrika - which just celebrated its first anniversary continue to grow - eNCA which retains it lead and is still the most watched TV news channel in South Africa, has lost trust and credibility after an ongoing series of behind-the-scenes newsroom management scandals and mistakes.
ALSO READ: eNCA walks back shocking FOX News-like on-air editorial attack by Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton on ‘publicly emasculated’ Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma: ‘An unfortunate judgment call’.
According to South Africa's Broadcasting Code of Conduct, pay-TV channels like eNCA "must report news truthfully, accurately and fairly" and news "must be presented in the correct context and in a fair manner, without intentional or negligent departure from the facts, whether by distortion, exaggeration or misrepresentation, material omissions or summarisation".
The Code states that "Comment must be an honest expression of opinion and must be presented in such manner that it appears clearly to be comment, and must be made on facts truly stated or fairly indicated and referred to".
It's still unclear as to why the eMedia Investments channel produced for MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service has started to do in-news opinion and commentary when it's not allowed to and started to emulate the FOX News-style of opinion-infused comment on news instead of just reporting the news.
As the viewership of rival TV news channels like SABC News and Newzroom Afrika - which just celebrated its first anniversary continue to grow - eNCA which retains it lead and is still the most watched TV news channel in South Africa, has lost trust and credibility after an ongoing series of behind-the-scenes newsroom management scandals and mistakes.
ALSO READ: eNCA walks back shocking FOX News-like on-air editorial attack by Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton on ‘publicly emasculated’ Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma: ‘An unfortunate judgment call’.
