Implicated SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini wants Mary Papayya gone from case over alleged SABC News editorial interference around Cyril Ramaphosa election interview since she's a member of Sanef as news boss Phathiswa Magopeni's disciplinary hearing looms.

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC board has split after the implicated chairperson of the South African public broadcaster, Bongumusa Makhathini wants SABC board member Mary Papayya removed from a serious grievance over alleged SABC News editorial interference involving president Cyril Ramaphosa because she is a member of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef).

Meanwhile the disciplinary hearing of the SABC News boss, Phathiswa Magopeni - that the SABC wants to keep secret - is set for this coming week, with Phathiswa Magopeni who is charged with alleged negligence and bringing the SABC into disrepute, who made the serious allegation that Bongumusa Makhathini and SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe are both guilty of political editorial interference of SABC News.

The Sunday Times newspaper on Sunday reported that Bongumusa Makhathini - who himself is implicated in the serious grievance of alleged SABC News editorial interference - wants SABC board member Mary Papayya gone from deliberations over a grievance of allegations of editorial interference since she is a member of Sanef.

Sanef has demanded that the disciplinary hearing of Phathiswa Magopeni, given the seriousness of the charges and her allegations, be open for the media to attend and for the public to see since the SABC is a public broadcaster.

Gugu Ntuli, SABC spokesperson, didn't respond to media queries about Bongumusa Makhathini's demand.

Bongumusa Makhathini, in a letter to SABC deputy board member, Mamodupi Mohlala-Mulaudzi, demands that Mary Papayya must remove herself from "any discussions or decision-making" over the allegations of SABC News editorial interference because she is a member of Sanef.

He claims that because Mary Papayya is a member of Sanef and because Sanef has "declared an interest with respect to Phathiswa Magopeni's disciplinary proceedings", Mary Papayya must step aside.

"In this light, it cannot be acceptable that Mary Papayya participates in any further discussions and/or decision-making on a matter in which Sanef has declared a strong, legal interest."

Bongumusa Makhathini wants Mary Papayya gone from SABC board meetings that discuss Phathiswa Magopeni because according to him she won't "act impartially".

"Even if Mary Papayya recuses herself from Sanef meetings when SABC matters are discussed this does not cure the conflict of interest. Mary Papayya sits on the Sanef management committee and the Sanef council, which is that organisation's highest decision-making body."

"Likewise she sits on the SABC board, which is the public broadcaster's highest decision-making body and which will play a role in the outcome of the grievance lodged against me," Bongumusa Makhathini writes.

"It is therefore my respectful submission that Mary Papayya cannot participate in any further discussions and/or decisions on the grievance lodged against me."

"After 4 years of resolutely defending the independence of the SABC as board chairperson, it now seems widely accepted as fact, based on an untested grievance, that I am part of a 'political conspiracy' to interfere with the SABC's editorial independence and charge Phathiswa Magopeni."

"The damage to my reputation has been incalculable and it is therefore crucially important that the process to adjudicate this grievance is fair and impartial."

Phathiswa Magopeni who said she is scared and is being hounded out of the SABC, said that the SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini and SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe are both guilty of direct editorial interference in the operations of SABC News after they asked for SABC News to do an interview with ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa during the election campaigning period before the recent municipal elections.

Phathiswa Magopeni responded after she was slapped with a disciplinary hearing - set for 17 December that looks like it's a SABC witch-hunt - for allegedly bringing the SABC into disrepute and for alleged negligence. 

In her 9-page letter, Phathiswa Magopeni slams SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini for trying to "destroy" her after she rebuffed their attempts to get her to approve a sudden interview for South African and ANC political party president Cyril Ramaphosa during the ANC's recent election campaign in Limpopo.

Phathiswa Madoda says 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 and tried to force her to approve and schedule an interview with Cyril Ramaphosa - 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 calls I received from Madoda Mxakwe went beyond seeking clarity about why the interview could not be done. He was putting undue pressure on me to co-ordinate that the interview be done, despite this falling outside the news division's editorial processes and being outright interference. I refused."

"He even mentioned having spoken to the minister about the issue, which I found bizarre because this was an editorial matter. I kept explaining why this was wrong and in violation of the prescribed editorial processes," Phathiswa Magopeni writes.

Then suddenly Bongumusa Makhathini called Phathiswa Magopeni although SABC board members are not allowed to do that and are prohibited from editorial interference at SABC News. He asked Phathishwa Magopeni what is happening with the Cyril Ramaphosa interview.

"I said I had done nothing because it would have been an editorial transgression. He went as far as saying the ANC president was in his final leg of the campaign and would be making his way to the SABC afterwards."

"I asked him what he was coming to do as news had no scheduled interview with him, and there was no preparation for such by editors."

"He asked me if the president would have to leave the SABC without doing the interview. I emphatically said from a news point of view, yes, because no editor had knowledge of that interview and it would be a breach of editorial transparency in our newsroom processes."

In May Bongumusa Makhathini also interfered with the operations of SABC News when he also called Phathiswa Magopeni during the succession battle surrounding the Zulu royal family and instructed her that "the other side of the family" should also be given airtime.

Bongumusa Makhathini also sent Phathiswa Magopeni a white envelope with court papers through a security guard that handed her the envelope in the SABC parking area, similar to the modus operandi that a previous SABC chairperson Ben Ngubane employed where he would scream at staffers and hand them documents. 

ALSO READ: South Africa's public broadcaster wants to keep proceedings of disciplinary hearing of its SABC news boss Phathiswa Magopeni secret as lawyers for South African National Editors Forum and CFE demand that media be allowed to attend.

ALSO READ: Scared SABC News boss Phathiswa Magopeni details shocking allegations of editorial interference by SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini and CEO Madoda Mxakwe who pressured for ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa to do an election interview.

ALSO READ: SABC board says its takes SABC News boss Phathiswa Magopeni's allegations of editorial interference atSABC News of SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe and SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini 'seriously' but 'won't comment further at this stage'. 

'Lying' SABC forced to reinstate fired producer it accused of 'well-considered sabotage' of president Cyril Ramaphosa's speech in 2019.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster that has apparently been lying about supposed deliberate internal sabotage has been forced to reinstate a producer that it accused and tried to blame for allegedly deliberately being part of a "well co-ordinated plan to sabotage" president Cyril Ramaphosa by broadcasting a wrong version of his speech in 2019.

On 5 September 2019 technical failures and incompetence by numerous people all through the SABC News production value chain at the broadcaster is what actually led to SABC News broadcasting a wrong pre-recorded clip of South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's national address.

SABC News ended up showing a rehearsal recording instead of the second take as the correct version that were both recorded in Cape Town and sent to the SABC's head office in Auckland Park in Johannesburg.

Cyril Ramaphosa was addressing South Africa in a speech about gender violence, following the horrific murder of the University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana in a Cape Town post office. 

The SABC in a statement on 10 September 2019 said that "The SABC now has strong prima facie evidence indicating that the broadcast of the incorrect clip was a well-considered and coordinated act of sabotage to bring the SABC and consequently the president into disrepute".

The SABC suspended 3 permanent staffers and "unscheduled" a freelancer following the embarrassing incident it blamed on "sabotage".

Madoda Mxakwe said in the statement that "the SABC will not tolerate any acts or omissions that bring the public broadcaster into disrepute, and undermine efforts to eradicate systemic problems of malfeasance and maladministration plaguing the institution".

Phathiswa Magopeni, the head of SABC News, said in the statement that "any employee found to be involved in clandestine activities aimed at undoing the ongoing work to restore the credibility of the public news service, will be dealt with accordingly within the confines of the SABC’s human resources and disciplinary policies".

On 5 September 2019 Sophie Mokoena was the acting head of news on the day, the output editor was Njanji Chauke, with Megan Lubke as Full View executive producer and Rozalia Whitehead as producer.

Within the SABC News production, editing and broadcasting work stream, everybody blamed everybody else, showing that incompetence at the SABC - not deliberate sabotage - was actually to blame for the embarrassing mistake.

Two years later the SABC has quietly reinstated the producer who was fired, with nothing that has come of the SABC's claims of deliberate "sabotage" of the country's president's speech.

eNCA's racist mask-scandal widens: SANEF criticises defensive eNCA for immature response, president Cyril Ramaphosa 'quite disturbed', UDM lodges broadcasting complaint, EFF demands inquiry and wants eNCA banned from parliament, IFP ghosts eNCA.

by Thinus Ferreira

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.

ALSO READ: eNCA blames pressure of live TV for its Budget Speech 2021 interviews mask-scandal, says TV news channel's apparent double standard ‘was not racially motivated’.

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’.

by Thinus Ferreira

eNCA (DStv 403) on Tuesday apologised for its editorial slant of speculative on-air commentary that the TV news channel did in a similar approach to America's FOX News channel - this time from co-anchors Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton - who slammed president Cyril Ramaphosa and minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, saying Ramaphosa has been "publicly emasculated", the public "duped" and South Africa becoming "a police state under the renegade ministers".

On Monday morning on eNCA, Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton, back from coronavirus self-quarantine, launched into an opinion-laced on-air tirade against South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at the beginning of the 7:00 hour.

The eNCA on-air comments came without warning or being qualifying as editorial for viewers.

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".

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.

Behind-the-scenes something happened at eMedia Investments' Hyde Park eNCA newsroom because Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton tried to walk back their on-air rhetoric a day later.

On Tuesday morning eNCA said that Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton is apologising for their comments after the on-air news presenters "made an unfortunate judgment call on president Cyril Ramaphosa and cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma around the debacle on the cigarette ban.



In their eNCA 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.

e.tv didn't immediately respond to a media enquiry made Tuesday morning asking about the eNCA editorial on-air attack, it's apparent move away from purely fact-driven content and why the channel appears is have started emulating the FOX News-style of opinion-infused comment on news.

eNCA's response will be added here if received.

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 is retains it lead and is still the most watched TV news channel in South Africa has lost trust and credibility after behind-the-scenes newsroom management scandals and mistakes.

#SONA2019: South African TV coverage of the State of the Nation 2019 Address today.

Several TV channels will be doing live coverage and analyses today of the State of the Nation Address 2019 of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.


SABC
The SABC will broadcast the State of the Nation Address 2019 (#SONA2019) live on TV, radio and its online SABC News channel on YouTube on Thursday, 7 February.

The SABC will do preview coverage and analyses on its programmes Agenda and On Point on SABC News (DStv 404) leading up to the address. These shows will cover the Civil Guard of Honour, red carpet arrivals coverage and the 21 Gun Salute.

The red carpet arrivals will be live streamed from 16:00 on the SABC News channel on YouTube until the end of the proceedings.

The president's address will be broadcast live during the prime time programme Full View on SABC News and on SABC2.

Following the president's address, a post-analysis of the speech will be broadcast live with experts and reaction from various political parties. The SABC will also do live crossings to various provinces to get vox populi reactions.


SABC2
On SABC2 coverage of the State of the Nation Address 2019 speech will start at 18:00 and continue until 20:30, preempting the channel's normal schedule. It will be followed by the current affairs programme Ngula Ya Vutivi at 20:30 and the day's episode of Muvhango at 21:00.


eNCA (DStv 403)
eNCA will do rolling live coverage of president Cyril Ramaphosa's second State of the Nation Address today, with extensive coverage kicking off from 16:00.

eNCA anchors Vuyo Mvoko and Michelle Craig will anchor this evening's coverage from a pop-up studio in Cape Town's parliamentary precinct.

Reporter Leigh-Ann Jansen will be joined by the fashion entrepreneur Craig Jacobs alongside the red carpet to interview politicians and to ask what they're wearing.

Iman Rappetti from the Madam Speaker talk show will host a live studio audience at eNCA's Hyde Park studios in Johannesburg. She will do crossovers with Vuyo Mvoko and Michelle Craig throughout the evening, sharing the studio audience's reactions and comments.

A special hour-long live edition of Madam Speaker will be broadcast on eNCA at 21:00.

This year eNCA has partnered with the independent fact-checking organisation Africa Check to provide viewers with in-depth analysis with Africa Check researchers who will fact-check Cyril Ramaphosa's address throughout the evening from the eNCA Johannesburg studios and share their analysis from 22:00.


Open News (Openview 120)
Open News will also do coverage of the State of the Nation Address 2019 with anchors Naledi Moleo and Ayanda Dlamini who will broadcast live from Cape Town's parliamentary precinct, bringing viewers all the highlights from the red carpet and the National Assembly.

Koketso Sachane will cover all the news making headlines from the address as well as the day's other news from the Open News studios.


Parliamentary Channel (DStv 408)
Live coverage of the State of the Nation Address 2019 speech from 18:00.


CNBC Africa (DStv 410 / Cell C black 512)
CNBC Africa didn't provide a programming advisory regarding its coverage plans to the press but has slotted a State of the Nation Address programming block from 19:00 to 20:30 on its schedule for today.

SABC makes yet another Cyril Ramaphosa blunder, as SABC News presidential correspondent Mzwandile Mbeje calls him 'president Zuma'.

The SABC's spate of on-air news errors regarding president Cyril Ramaphosa continues with the SABC News journalist Mzwandile Mbeje who on Friday referred to Cyril Ramaphosa's during his trip to Angola as former president "Jacob Zuma".

The SABC News anchor Peter Ndoro just returned this past Monday after "taking a break to rest" after erroneously telling SABC News viewers on the SABC airwaves that president Cyril Ramaphosa had passed away.

This week Cyril Ramaphosa was on a 3-nation trop in the SADC region and kicked it off in Luanda, Angola on Friday where he met the Angolan president João Lourenço.

"We can see president Zuma, and his counterpart from Angola ..." said Mzwandile Mbeje., although viewers saw Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mzwandile Mbeje is the SABC's presidential correspondent.

Last month the SABC's SABC News division yet again erred in the Venda news bulletin on SABC2 when the Venda news reader suddenly made reference to "Jacob Ramaphosa" during a story about former president Jacob Zuma and Nkandla.

SABC takes SABC News anchor Peter Ndoro off air 'to rest' after second erroneous on-air death announcement within weeks, this time saying president Cyril Ramaphosa has passed away.

The SABC has taken the SABC News anchor Peter Ndoro off the air "to rest" for an unspecified period of time, after he made a second erroneous on-air death announcement on Thursday evening, this time saying newly-elected president Cyril Ramaphosa has passed away.

The SABC that struggles with a trust and credibility problem and is working hard to regain viewers' confidence and trust in its news output, said the news anchor is "fatigued" and that SABC management agreed with the news reader talent that it's better for him to step away from the anchor desk for the time being to rest.

During Thursday night's news bulletin on SABC3 and SABC News (DStv 404) Peter Ndoro erroneously used Cyril Ramaphosa's name while he was reading a story about Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai who died earlier this week.

The SABC has moved the TV news bulletin to 21:00 on SABC3 from the beginning of February - the sudden new much later timeslot of the public broadcaster's flagship English TV news bulletin from its erstwhile 18:00 timeslot.

It's Peter Ndoro's second similar mistake after he in January announced that Mangosuthu Buthelezi had died when he should have said former Bophuthatswana leader Lucas Mangope.

The SABC in a statement said that it noted Peter Ndoro's mistake "with concern".

"In as much as we acknowledge that this is a human error, we take this matter in a very serious light as it is not only embarrassing but could potentially affect those involved negatively."

"In the light of the event, news management has since engaged Peter Ndoro and he indicated that he is fatigued and needed some time to rest. Management has agreed to his request and he will be taking a break from the show. Peter Ndoro has apologised to the president's office and his apology has been accepted."

"The SABC would like to ensure all its audiences that it remains fully committed to delivering news that is fair, balanced and accurate".

eNCA's on its coverage plans of president Cyril Ramaphosa's inaugural State of the Nation Address 2018.

In response to a media enquiry, eNCA (DStv 403) has this information about its coverage plans for president Cyril Ramaphosa's inaugural State of the Nation Address 2018 taking place at parliament in Cape Town today.

"eNCA has already started its rolling coverage ahead of newly-elected president Cyril Ramaphosa’s inaugural State of the Nation address."

"The eNCA team will continue to broadcast live from our fully-operational temporary studio at parliament, with senior anchors interviewing ministers, opposition parties and commentators in the lead up to the president’s maiden address."

"We have a team of reporters placed in and around the parliamentary precinct, and at historically-relevant locations around the country, including president Cyril Ramaphosa’s childhood home in Chiawelo."

"In addition, the news team will get in-depth analysis from political analysts and commentators post the address. We will also interview ordinary South Africans to capture their thoughts and reactions in response to the address."

"The eNCA team will continue to follow the subsequent political transition closely through the weekend and into next week, unpacking the critical issues and developments, including any possible changes to the cabinet."