SABC removes SABC News anchor Juliet Newell after asking Dr Mamphela Ramphele why she's equating Israel-Gaza conflict to the Holocaust

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster has removed SABC News anchor Juliet Newell from the air and unscheduled her after an interview and testy on-air exchange about the Israel-Gaza conflict with Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

Juliet Newell asked Ramphele "how does your statement likening the famine in Gaza, to the Holocaust - do you not see that as provocative?"

Ramphele responded by saying "What provocative? It is a Holocaust. Why can't I compare them?"

"The Holocaust happened, and it will continue to happen in different forms for as long as we make criticising this kind of behaviour a holy cow. It is a Holocaust by any definition if you look at the deliberate attack on children, on women, on unarmed citizens, and using starvation as a weapon of war. Tell me what that is?"

The SABC says in a statement "SABC News management took immediate action in line with the SABC's internal processes, and the presenter in question is currently not scheduled".

"The SABC editorial policies are aimed at building trust with the public and in ensuring that our content, in all its formats, continues to resonate with the prescripts of our public mandate, and more so in providing universal access to credible content."

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in a statement says "As a publicly funded institution, SABC has a duty to report with integrity, accuracy, and balance".

"As a publicly funded institution, SABC has a duty to report with integrity, accuracy, and balance. We call on SABC to accurately describe the situation in Gaza as genocide, provide full coverage of South Africa's ICJ case against Israel, and stop adopting the framing or talking points of foreign governments at the expense of truth."

SABC News TV channel adjusts schedule with serial channel hopper Thembekile Mrototo co-anchoring The Full View prime time

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC News (DStv 404) TV news channel adjusted its schedule from 1 April 2025 with channel hopper anchor Thembekile Mrototo now once again back at the public broadcaster to co-anchor The Full View prime-time block between 18:00 and 21:00.

On 1 April, and asked again after that, the SABC was asked in a media query about the SABC News changes for information about the channel's line-up changes. No information on anything from SABC News as a TV channel was forthcoming a week later when this report was published.

On Sundays, Thulasizwe Simelane anchors The Week Ahead on SABC News between 12:00 and 15:00. He is also the face of Week in Review on Saturdays between 12:00 and 15:00.

Morning Live, simulcast on SABC2 and SABC News, remains on weekdays between 6:00 and 9:00, co-anchored by Leanne Manas and Sakina Kamwendo.

Ayanda Nyathi anchors The Agenda block between 9:00 and 12:00 on weekdays.

After the implosion of Paula Slier and Trevor Bester's Newshound company that did the short-lived News1 streaming channel for Sentech's Freevision Play and had plans to also do a Brics Global TV News (BGTN), Juliet Newell who was an anchor there, is now on SABC News anchoring On Point on weekdays between 12:00 and 15:00.

Unathi Batyashe anchors the SA Today block on SABC News between 15:00 and 18:00.

The Full View block between 18:00 and 19:00 is now co-anchored by Bongiwe Zwane and the serial channel hopper Thembekile Mrototo who keeps revolving, leaving and returning between eNCA (DStv 403), SABC News, Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) and who is now once again back at SABC News for another stint.

Clement Manyathela anchors Face the Nation on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 20:00 and 21:00.

Mfundo Mabalane and Mpho Sithole are the co-anchors of The Late Edition block on weekdays on SABC News between 21:00 and 23:00.

The SABC3 English TV news bulletin, Prime News at 20:00, is suddenly co-anchored by Becky Motumo and Paulette Kaise. There's been no information to the media about this from the SABC or SABC3.

ANN7 dumps Juliet Newell from prime time and ANN Prime, keeps delaying new schedule roll-out and relaunch of morning show Vuka Africa.

Juliet Newell has been dumped from prime time and moved to an afternoon timeslot less than a month after ANN7 (DStv 405) confirmed that Juliet Newell is the new prime time anchor taking over its flagship show ANN7 Prime after Chantal Rutter Dros left.

ANN7 confirmed in January that Juliet Newell is their new prime time anchor, saying she "is the new prime anchor for ANN7 Prime, weekly from 19:00 to 20:00".

Less than a month later she disappeared to ANN7's afternoon line-up, with the inexperienced TV news reader Nzinga Qunta, who is not a journalist, now anchoring prime time.

ANN7's Infinity Media has not responded with answers to multiple media enquiries made since mid-February about Juliet Newell's appearance and her abrupt and quick exit from its prime time slot and why it happened - nor about the young Nzinga Qunta who took over.

Nzinga Qunta has been with ANN7 since the TV news channel launched.

Meanwhile ANN7's relaunch of its morning breakfast show anchored by Peter van Onselen, Vuka Afrika between 06:00 and 09:00 on weekdays, has been pushed back yet again, already missing two previous deadlines for the revamped show to start.

ANN7 morning anchor Abigail Visagie was supposed to join Peter van Onselen from the beginning of March as part of a "new" Vuka Africa, but that deadline has now also come and gone.

Since launch ANN7 has battled to overcome issues of credibility and professionalism with ongoing on-air gaffes and a lack of transparency.

Meanwhile ANN7 which in 2014 saw a dramatic loss of executives and on-air talent as several TV reporters and anchors - unhappy with the TV channel - decided to leave, is yet again advertising for TV reporters.

ANN7 is looking for news reporters, political reporters, provincial reporters, as well as entertainment and features reporters with at least two years' experience in the industry to beef up the channel's news reporting.

Juliet Newell the new anchor of ANN7's news programme, ANN7 Prime; CNBC Africa's Natassia Arendse joins as a business anchor.

Juliet Newell is the new anchor of ANN7 Prime, the primetime nightly news programme, on ANN7 (DStv 405), filling the void after Chantal Rutter Dros left ANN7 in December 2014.

Natassia Arendse has also left CNBC Africa (DStv 410) to join ANN7 as a business anchor and producer.

"ANN7 can confirm that Juliet Newell is the new prime anchor for ANN7 Prime, weekly from 19:00 to 20:00," ANN7 tells TV with Thinus.

Juliet Newell officially joined ANN7 last month.

She previously appeared as a presenter on The Home Channel and Summit TV (now BusinessDay TV or DBTV) two of BDFM Publishers supplied TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, as well as anchoring on e.tv's former breakfast show, Morning Edition.

Before that Juliet Newell made several TV appearances across M-Net and the SABC in TV dramas, soaps and TV commercials.

Natassia Arendse has left CNBC Africa and has joined ANN7 as a business anchor and producer and currently hosts a business segment on ANN7's morning show Vuka Africa at 08:30, says the Infinity Media owned 24-hour TV news channel.

"ANN7 is excited to have the likes of of Juliet Newell and Natassia Arendse on board and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with both of our fresh faces and exciting new talent," Quraysh Patel, ANN7 general manager tells TV with Thinus.