by Thinus Ferreira
In a shocking move that's incredibly damaging for what remains of its credibility as a public broadcaster and its struggling news division, the SABC on Friday abruptly fired its SABC News boss Phathiswa Magopeni.
Scroll down for reaction.
The SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe told Phathiswa Magopeni in a letter on Friday that she has been fired, writing, "The SABC finds that there is a breakdown in the trust relationship between you and the SABC".
The SABC ordered Phathiswa Magopeni to hand in all of the broadcaster's property in her possession no later than 12:00 on 31 January.
Following her appointment in 2016 as SABC News boss, Phathiswa Magopeni has been instrumental in trying to rebuild the credibility and editorial independence of the SABC's struggling news division with her firing that is not just a massive loss for the broadcaster, but hugely damaging for its image and SABC News brand.
After Phathiswa Magopeni's abrupt axing on Friday, all the SABC News bulletins on SABC radio and SABC TV channels instantly switched to propaganda-style "reporting" about it, with very badly-done, one-sided "reporting" in which SABC radio and television news readers only read out what is actually the SABC press statement, without saying so to readers and viewers.
None of the SABC News so-called "news reports" about Phathiswa Pagopeni's firing included any comments from Phathiswa Magopeni herself although it exists, or any facts about what led to the situation, or that Phathiswa Magopeni had accused the SABC CEO and SABC chairperson of gross political interference into the broadcaster's news division, or any actual facts of what's happening now.
Following a disciplinary hearing in late-2021 that found Phathiswa Magopeni guilty on one charge of misconduct for the failure to stop the broadcasting of an episode of the current affairs programme Special Assignment, the SABC has quietly been trying to get rid of Phathiswa Magopeni by trying to get her to accept a massive financial payout to leave - something she has rejected.
The chairperson of the disciplinary hearing recommended a warning for Phathiswa Magopeni, not that she be fired.
The City Press newspaper reported earlier this month that while Phathiswa Magopeni continued to oversee the SABC News division, she had shunned a massive financial offer to leave the troubled SABC that is once again suffering reputational and credibility damage over its news coverage.
According to sources, SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini were ordered by ANC politicians to get rid of Phathiswa Magopeni.
Phathiswa Magopeni said that Madoda Mxakwe is resolute in "hounding" her out of the public broadcaster and that both Madoda Mxakwe and Bongumusa Makhathini called her on 24 October last year and tried to force her to approve and schedule an interview with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.
If true, this is a clear transgression of SABC rules against editorial interference by SABC top execs and the SABC board into the operations of the SABC newsroom.
The SABC in a terse statement late on Friday afternoon at 17:22, said that Phathiswa Magopeni "was was afforded an opportunity to submit mitigating factors and to
address aggravating factors identified by the SABC, in line with the rule of
natural justice and the audi alteram partem principle".
"After
several requests for extensions, instead of taking up the opportunity to submit
her mitigating factors and distance herself from the remarks in, amongst other
things, the heads of argument submitted on her behalf, she elected not to
submit her mitigating factors. Thus, she waived her right to do so."
"In
the absence of Phathiswa Magopeni’s mitigating factors, the SABC concluded that there is
a breakdown in the trust relationship between her and the SABC."
"Consequently, Phathiswa Magopeni’s services have been terminated with immediate effect and she has
been informed accordingly."
Gugu Ntuli, SABC spokesperson, didn't say who is the acting SABC News boss in the statement.
Phathiswa Magopeni told the SABC in a letter she wrote earlier this week on 27 January 2022 that "I have been severely prejudiced in the disciplinary hearing process as not only have I been denied the opportunity to provide my mitigating factors to the chairperson for his consideration in relation to sanction, in addition, the SABC intends to consider its own factors in aggravation for purposes of reaching a decision on sanction".
Phathiswa Magopeni told the SABC that she "takes issue with the chairperson's findings and will in due course challenge his findings at the appropriate time and forum".
Exactly as TVwithThinus predicted and noted earlier this year, the completely untenable David vs Goliath battle that has been playing out at the SABC between Phathiswa Magopeni against Madoda Mxakwe and Bongumusa Makhathini, meant that either she or they would very likely be getting fired before 2022 was over.
That has now happened.
With the ANC's next national elective conference taking place at the end of this year, the ANC through Madoda Mxakwe and Bongumusa Makhathini have been revealed to have applied immense pressure and political interference to get rid of Phathiswa Magopeni.
Reaction:
Media Monitoring Africa
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) director William Bird in interviews on Newzroom Afrika and SABC News on Friday night said that the firing of Phathiswa Pagopeni is "a very, very sad day for the SABC and for South Africa".
"There are certain people who will obviously be rejoicing at the turn of events. I think it's sad because thanks to Phathiswa Magopeni, the SABC executive team and of course the SABC board that have been able to restore the credibility and independence of the SABC over the last couple of years."
"If you look at where it was in 2016, Phathiswa came in and she has been able to do an incredible job. For her tenure at the SABC to end in this particular manner is really an unfortunate way for things to be going at the SABC."
Bemawu
The Bemawu trade union at the SABC of which Phathiswa Magopeni was not a member, on Friday night said that Bemawu "is utterly shocked by the decision of the SABC to fire her".
Hannes du Buisson, Bemawu president, told SABC News in an interview at 20:20 that "Phathiswa Magopeni is the first person ever in the history at the SABC who got fired because she did not distance herself from heads of argument that were submitted by her lawyer, because that is essentially what she's being fired for".
"Phathiswa Magopeni is not a member of Bemawu but we are concerned about the state of affairs and the way that disciplinary action has been taken against her as an SABC employee, regardless of whether that person is a member or not."
South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) ONE
Sbu Ngalwa, chairperson of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef), said that the organisation "is extremely disappointed by this SABC decision to terminate the employment of Phathiswa Pagopeni".
He told SABC News in an interview on Friday night that "we had hoped that sanity would prevail and in the end the SABC would follow the direction of the disciplinary hearing which was to give a hearing to Phathiswa Magopeni."
"What muddies the water is that Phathiswa Magopeni has an existing complaint against the SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini. Given that state of affairs, obviously, you don't expect that the very same people she is complaining against, would give her a fair hearing."
Sbu Ngalwa said "one would have expected, at the very least, that her complaint is heard and adjudicated before you have a decision taken by SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe. In this instance Madoda Mxakwe is pretty much referee and player given the fact that he has a pending complaint against him."
"The optics of Phathiswa Magopeni's dismissal actually do not look good for the SABC and I think it takes the SABC a few steps backwards."
"The SABC comes from the sad era of Hlaudi Motsoeneng who mismanaged the SABC. We know the ratings of the SABC in recent months and years have shown when it took a decision to turn around to be an independent and impartial public broadcaster, the results are there for everyone to see. It is about the work that we have seen for years."
South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) TWO
In an official statement on Saturday morning, Sanef says it condemns the "outrageous decision" to fire Phathiswa Magopeni, that the SABC top management and SABC board are behaving in a questionable manner and that Phathiswa Magopeni "has been treated unfairly by the SABC as they continued to ignore her submissions to their various nefarious intents".
Sanef said Phathiswa Pagopeni's axing as SABC News boss "comes before a panel had adjudicated her
very serious grievances against SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and SABC chairperson Bongumusa
Makhathini, alleging that they had interfered in the editorial independence of
the SABC by forcing her to set up interviews with ANC president, Cyril
Ramaphosa, during last year's municipal elections campaign".
"Phathiswa Magopeni confidently
contends that her sacking is directly linked to her refusal to take
instructions from her bosses."
"This pattern needs to be condemned because it makes a mockery of labour
laws and associated processes. It also leads to a mistrust of our public
institutions and denies the state broadcaster their constitutionally protected
freedom of media."
"An environment where people can be fired following political
interference by the ANC-influenced elections campaign leads to self-censorship
and restraints journalists and media workers from the freedom they need to do
their job."
"Phathiswa Magopeni has been treated unfairly by the SABC as they continued to
ignore her submissions to their various nefarious intents, such as calling her
to give reasons for mitigation against her dismissal, which she wrote back to,
yet they ignored that and released an ill-informed statement regarding her
dismissal."
"The SABC management and board, since making the announcement to charge
Magopeni, has carried itself in a questionable manner that has not only been
disheartening, but has also put a negative dent on the reputation of the public
broadcaster."
Sanef says "It's unfortunate that the gains made in recent years since Magopeni
assumed the leadership of the news team are now being taken backward, by a
management team that wants to see the news division led asunder with clear
political influence from the ANC."
"Sanef remains committed to media freedom and believe that the news
division of the SABC should continue pushing back against intentional ANC propagandas,
in whatever shape or form they take. We will continue to support editors at a
key institution such as the SABC, who continue to fight back against any undue
editorial interference."
"We are resolute that this outrageous decision by the SABC will be
challenged by all endeavouring to see an independent SABC newsroom. The public,
the main stakeholder in the institution, envisage to see no political
interference at the public broadcaster."
Democratic Alliance (DA) political party
The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party in a statement late on Friday night said "Today's decision to fire SABC News boss Phathiswa Magopeni does not come as a complete surprise in light of recent worrying signs of efforts to politically capture the SABC".
The DA's member of parliament (MP) Zakhele Mbhele said "today's outcome tells us that the stench of state capture and political interference still lingers in the fabric of our public broadcaster, echoing the Hlaudi Motsoeneng era".
The DA said it would ask for the portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies in parliament to convene for a meeting as soon as possible "to have the SABC board and senior management account to parliament for Phathiswa Magopeni's firing, the severity of which is a patently disproportionate sanction in relation to the findings of her disciplinary process, and points in the wrong direction about the protection of editorial independence at the SABC going forward".
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party
The EFF political party's member of parliament (MP) Mbuyiseni Ndlozi on Friday night said that "the dismissal of Phathiswa Magopeni from SABC must be welcome [sic]. Her mission was to turn SABC into an eNCA lite. She did not appreciate the centrality of SABC's mandate to the entire South African public. At all material times she sought to dwarf it's public mandate. Good riddance!"
Campaign for Free Expression
Anton Harber, executive director of the Campaign for Free Expression, says "The context is that the SABC has in the past few years stabilised itself, asserted its independence and under Phathiswa Magopeni re-established a credibility and trustworthiness of its news product.".
He says her firing "also comes just shortly after she's come under personal attack from key ANC leaders and she has herself complained of editorial interference by SABC management, the people who are firing her".
