eNCA reporter Michael Appel reports on his first-hand experiences working at the Gupta family's ANN7 propaganda channel on DStv: 'It was an abusive work environment'.

The eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Michael Appel who used to work at the now-shuttered and controversial ANN, in a report on eNCA reveals more of the horrific working conditions and the abuse of staffers which he had personal experience of and that took place at the Gupta family's propaganda TV channel on DStv.

Michael Appel decided to file his report in which he includes personal recollections and experiences of working at ANN7, following the testimony on Monday and Tuesday of Rajesh Sundaram, the former start-up editor at the channel who appeared before the Zondo commission's State Capture Inquiry this week.

Rajesh Sundaram described in detail, similar to his book Indentured, how the Guptas and TV executives flouted labour laws, bypassed South Africa's visa laws, secretly met with former president Jacob Zuma to set up ANN7 on MultiChoice's pay-TV service as a propaganda channel, lied to MultiChoice executives, and how and why ANN7's launch was a disaster and a "trainwreck".

Michael Appel worked at the closed down The New Age newspaper and ANN7 for about half a decade and describes it as "a difficult time in my career that I don't like to think back on".

Michael Appel who worked at the newspaper side of the Guptas' media empire, switched over to ANN7 several months after the disastrous launch of the TV channel in August 2013 and made his TV debut in March 2014.

In his report he shows a work list indicating how he and other ANN7 reporters and journalists were required to work 10 hour shifts for 12 days in a row.

Ethel Williams Abrahamse is a former ANN7 employee who started working at ANN7 three days before it launched.

She told Michael Appel on-camera about how she is still traumatised over the horrific treatment she and staffers were subjected to and recounting specific terrible incidents with executives like former CEO, Nazeem Howa "and his cheap shoes", as well as Atul Gupta's racist tirades and their paranoid actions like installing cameras in the restrooms.

"It was an abusive work environment most of the time," recounts Michael Appel. "Speak up, and you're targeted."

Michael Appel says ANN7 "is a place where careers began, yes, but also a place of suffering degradation".

BREAKING. With duelling, highly sensational court trials - Oscar! Dewani! - eNCA, SABC News, ANN7 struggle to bring all the news.

With breathless live reporting and multiple live crossings, 24-hour TV news channels, from Sky News (DStv 402) and eNCA (DStv 403) to SABC News (DStv 404) and ANN7 (DStv 405) are having a veritable field day and are struggling to keep up with the sensational Oscar Pistorius murder trial in Pretoria and the Shrien Dewani murder trial in Cape Town.

All of the channels are bringing viewers insta-reaction and insta-coverage of both over-the-top, sensational court cases happening simultaneously in Pretoria's North Gauteng High Court and Cape Town's Western Cape High Court, with compelling news and reporting available from both cases.

On Sky News, Jeremy Thompson back in South Africa outside the court room, and Alex Crawford inside the court building is reporting on Oscar Pistorius on his stumps in the sensational court case.

On eNCA the channel ran the Oscar Pistorius court room testimony, as did SABC News and ANN7.

SABC News cut to Chriselda Lewis for commentary and reporting on Oscar Pistorius; eNCA went to Cathy Mohlahlana outside the Pretoria courtroom.

eNCA experiencing broadcasting problems just before 13:00 and threw to Andrew Barnes, Leigh-Ann Jansen and Olly Barratt in Cape Town covering the sensational Shrien Dewani murder trial.

ANN7 has Kevin Brandt in Cape Town reporting on the Shrien Dewani story, and Michael Appel reporting from the Oscar Pistorius murder trial in the North Gauteng High Court.