The racist mask-scandal of eNCA (DStv 403) continues to widen with the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) that is criticising the TV News channel for its defensive and immature response that it says "lacks the maturity that this moment demands", while the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa says he was "quite disturbed" to see eNCA's mask double-standard approach.
At least one political party, the UDM, has now lodged an official complaint about eNCA at the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA); another political party, the EFF, has called for an official and urgent parliamentary inquiry into eNCA which it wants to be banned from the parliamentary precinct; while an IFP MP has said he won't be giving any further interviews to eNCA or e.tv's eNews until it changes its statement.
The latest controversy that the eMedia Investments TV news channel finds itself in started when viewers noticed during the channel's 2021 Budget Speech interviews on Wednesday to get reaction over Tito Mboweni's speech, how white and black politicians were treated differently during interviews.
Viewers noticed a pattern in the way in which reporter Lindsay Dentlinger, that eNCA said has 21 years of experience, did a series of interviews on the steps of parliament where black politicians were repeatedly asked to wear their Covid-19-masks but white, maskless politicians didn't get similar instructions.
eNCA blamed it on the pressures of "live television" and said that its reporter isn't racist and that the apparent double standard is not because of "malicious intent".
Viewers and politicians have been up in arms about the incident, angered even further by eNCA response which the TV News channel struggled to formulate and that only communicated about for the first time on Thursday night at 22:02 in a media statement.
Sbu Ngalwa, chairperson of the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) says "This issue and the responses that it elicited should be one big lesson for us as the media industry and it is not just about eNCA or their journalist but it is about us as the media".
"It challenges us as newsrooms to now introduce standards of procedure in terms of how we treat guests during these times of Covid-19," he said.
"Those who are angry about this incident are justified," says Sbu Ngalwa. "The individuals who feel affronted have a right to be angry, they also have a right to be heard. This is a moment that calls for cool heads and for reflection."
"Where we have made mistakes we should admit our mistakes. We should not be defensive and cast those who criticise us as being malicious. Journalists are not above criticism. That is why I feel that the statement released by eNCA last night is quite unfortunate and it lacks the maturity that this moment demands."
"This is not the time for us to bury our heads in the sand and to be defensive," says Sbu Ngalwa.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South African president, says "When I saw what happened outside the doors of parliament I was quite disturbed".
On Friday the #NotInMyNameInternational civil rights organisation picketed outside the eNCA headquarters in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) political party on Friday lodged an official complaint against eNCA with the BCCSA over what it says is the apparent double standards of the eMedia Investments TV news channel's interviewing techniques, and the conduct of the eNCA production team as well as reporter Lindsay Dentlinger.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party has now written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, requesting that an urgent inquiry be instituted against eNCA and Lindsay Dentlinger, accusing eNCA and the reporter of racism within the parliamentary precinct.
The EFF says that Lindsay Dentlinger violated Section 9.4 of South Africa's Constitution. The EFF wants parliament to fire or ban Lindsay Dentlinger from the parliamentary precinct and wants eNCA removed, fined or banned from parliament for defending her actions.
Mkhuleko Hlengwa, MP of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), said that he will not be giving any further interviews to either eNCA or e.tv's eNews until eMedia Investments revises its statement about the mask incident and the conduct of Lindsay Dentlinger.
