In petition, 116 SABC News staffers warn over ongoing allegations of victimisation, political interference, Hlaudi enforcers and sex for jobs at the public broadcaster.

The SABC is silent over a petition, signed by 116 SABC News staffers, warning that political interference at the SABC continues, that "there is a re-emergence of reprisals against those who stood for the truth and for an independent broadcaster", that "victimisation of staff who stand for ethics continue" and that allegations of "sex for jobs" at the SABC should be investigated.

The SABC was asked for comment on Thursday, but the broadcaster declined the opportunity to comment.

SABC staffers in the petition - signed by 116 infuriated and extremely concerned SABC staffers including key SABC News staff like editors, producers and technical personnel - states that they fear that the SABC is still being ruled by enforcers of the fired former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and that victimisation and political interference in their jobs to bring the public the news, continues.

In the petition that was sent to SABC top management in mid-February, staffers say they have deep concerns and are furious over developments in the SABC News division.

The 116 staffers in the petition given to SABC top management by the Bemawu trade union, say that the SABC newsroom "is still being led by enforcers" of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, "some of whom continue to disregard the changed editorial environment that calls for conscience and professionalism such as Sophie Mokoena's unethical instruction to staff not to ask any question on president Jacob Zuma's recall in a recent ANC press conference".

SABC staffers said that "political interference continues" at SABC News, demand the "removal of the current compromised presidential corps team" and wants to know from the SABC's top executives why "the SABC continues to employ disgraces and discredited executives who propped up the previous regime.These people, such as Theresa Geldenhuys, who has been promoted to head of governance and compliance, were found liable for serious transgressions by parliament's ad hoc committee".

The SABC staffers in the petition warned that "there is a re-emergence of reprisals against those who stood for the truth and for an independent broadcaster".

"Victimisation of staff who stand for ethics continues. Here we cite the cases of David Magae, Boitumelo Koroge, Elvis Presslin, Mandisa Mazwi, Thandeka Gqubule, Phuthego Mojapele among others".

The petition also calls for an investigation into the alleged "misuse of SABC funds at a time when we are on economic austerity". In the petition, staffers also "demand an investigation into alleged sex for jobs at the Mpumalanga office and everywhere else where such allegations have been made".


SABC News channel turmoil
Furthermore, according to the petition, "For the past 6 months, our news division has fallen prey to unprofessionalism mainly due to poor leadership and management by the acting head of news and current affairs, Kenneth Makatees" that the staffers say "has been reminiscent of the Hlaudi-style of management".

According to staffers he has been moved to the SABC's SABC News (DStv 404) channel broadcast on MultiChoice's DStv.

"We demand a proper advertising of the post and his removal from the Johannesburg newsroom as his presence is bound to destabilise the newsroom and hamper progress," the petition states. "Management must bear in mind that he was previously removed through a petition from the erstwhile SABC Africa (TV channel)".

The SABC staffers in the petition further demanded  "the immediate removal of acting head of the news channel, Tebogo Alexander" for allegedly undermining executive producers, "threatening reprisals on his subordinates instead of resolving newsroom issues professionally", the intimidation of contractors with dismissals, bullying of his colleagues and "absolutely no professional mannerism or leadership skills".

The 116 SABC News staffers called on the SABC management "for an investigation into his behaviour and his track record as a manager at the SABC where there is a pattern of reported harassment of staff and abuse of power and position against his subordinates".

SABC News staffers wanted to know why shows are suddenly and unilaterally being pulled off air on the SABC News channel.

"Staff was told Rights and Recourse would be removed from the channel 404 schedule as from 31 March. However on Friday 23 February the team was told that their last show would be broadcast on Sunday 25 February without further clarity".

Question Time was also cancelled. "It is worth noting that this programme has annoyed news management in the past with its editorial independence and refusal to accept illegal instructions," the petition notes.

In the petition staffers also "demand the speedy appointment of a permanent head of the TV News Resources department which continues to be run unprofessionally without any sense of accountability by those who act in that position".


SABC: It's an internal matter
The SABC was asked for comment about the petition. The SABC then asked for specific questions, in order to respond adequately to the media enquiry.

The SABC was then asked why was Theresa Geldenhuys appointed as head of governance and compliance if she was found liable for serious transgressions during parliament’s inquiry into the SABC?

The SABC was asked about staffers saying there a “re-emergence of reprisals” against them and victimisation of staff who "stand for professional ethics" and if the SABC can comment on this.

The SABC was asked why Kenneth Makatees was moved to the SABC News channel, and if the SABC can comment on the petition that asked for the immediate removal of Tebogo Alexander as the acting head of the SABC News channel, and if this has happened.

The SABC was asked why shows like Question Time and Rights and Recourse on SABC News were cancelled,and asked if the SABC has any comment on SABC staffers saying that Sophie Mokoena gave "unethical instruction to staff not to ask any question on president Zuma’s recall in a recent ANC press conference".

The SABC was also asked if in general if there is anything the SABC wants to put into context or perspective in response to the petition as a whole.

SABC spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago said in response to the specific questions in the media enquiry that "this is an internal matter and we will not comment until all the internal processes are exhausted".



Below is the petition in its entirety: 

12 February 2018:
SABC NEWS STAFF PETITION

This petition serves to register our deep concern and infuriation with current developments in the News Division. This is despite the achievements of the Ad-Hoc committee’s inquiry into the SABC in 2016. This petition appeals to the board to urgently meet staff and address the following concerns;

A year since Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee issued its significant and binding recommendations for change at the SABC:

• We are yet to see the end of impunity where those who were responsible for violating our editorial standing in society through their unlawful conduct and enforcement of political instructions, are held to account.
• The SABC’s newsroom is still being led by enforcers, some of whom continue to disregard the changed editorial environment that calls for conscience and professionalism such as Ms Sophie Mokoena’s unethical instruction to staff not to ask any question on President Zuma’s recall in a recent ANC press conference.
• Political interference continues, the latest known having been reported to the board recently without response or action against the implicated party. Instead, those who sought to report it are portrayed as liars.
• We demand the immediate removal of the current compromised presidential corps team and the institution of an editorially independent team that represents the interest of the SABC as the voice of society, and not embed itself with the presidency.
• Other than James Aguma and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC continues to employ disgraced and discredited executives who propped up the previous regime. These people, such as Theresa Geldenhuys, who has been promoted to Head of Governance and Compliance, were found liable for serious transgressions by the ad hoc committee.
• Management and the board promised to deal with the issue of enforcers speedily a year ago, however to date, they are yet to act. [Following a motion of no confidence against the said enforcers, management and the board pleaded for patience as they were dealing with the matter, but nothing has come of it].
• We are told that they will also be investigated by the SIU, but it boggles the mind how the SIU that investigates criminal behaviour can also make a finding on editorial issues.
• There is a re-emergence of reprisals against those who stood for the truth and for an independent public broadcaster. Victimisation of staff who stand for professional ethics continues. Here we cite the cases of David Magae, Boitumelo Korogo, Elvis Presslin, Mandisa Mazwi, Thandeka Gqubule, Phuthego Mojapele among others.

SABC’s EDITORIAL INTEGRITY
More than once, the SABC has been compromised editorially and our credibility and integrity will continue to be questioned. Our presidential correspondent compromise us editorially by sheepishly failing to call the executive to account, despite this, no one has been held responsible.

• We demand that the political editor and news management be held accountable for making decisions that compromise us editorially
• We demand an investigation into why the SABC failed to cover the address of the newly-elected ANC president at Nasrec, despite us having the staff and equipment at the venue.

Mismanagement of the newsroom
For the past six months, our news division has fallen prey to unprofessionalism mainly due to poor leadership and management by the Acting Head of News and Current Affairs, Kenneth Makatees.

• Mr Makatees style of management and leadership has been reminiscent of the Hlaudi-style of management. He has imposed his preferred guests on Media Monitor staff, insisting on his involvement in the invitation of guests to Question Time, and micro-managing the newsroom and thus undermining his managers.
• We hear that he has now been moved to channel 404, we demand a proper advertising of the post and his removal form the Johannesburg newsroom as his presence is bound to distabilise the newsroom and hamper progress.
• Management must bear in mind that he was previously removed through a petition from the erstwhile SABC Africa.

Channel 404
We demand the immediate removal of Acting head of the news channel, Tebogo Alexander for:

• Undermining of EP’s
• Threatening reprisals on his subordinates instead of resolving newsroom issues professionally
• Intimidation of contractors with dismissals
• Bullying of his colleagues
• Absolutely no professional mannerism or leadership skills

His behaviour disregards the rights and dignity of employees as outlined in the Constitution of South Africa and the LRA. We call for an investigation into his behaviour and his track record as a manager at the SABC where there is a pattern of reported harassment of staff and abuse of power and position against his subordinates.

Cancellation of Programmes on Channel 404
In a display of the lack of management skills from the top of the News Division for five years, there has been no performance agreements or an understanding of what the shows aim to achieve. However teams have worked diligently to produce and broadcast these programmes. Suddenly and without professional and scientific rationale as well as consultation, programmes are being unilaterally pulled off air.

Affected staff has been told to ‘slot’ themselves into other shows. These are important decisions which must be done according to administrative procedure i.e. in a consultative thus professional manner.

We demand that no show be taken off air until the newly appointed GE can make her own decisions based on rationale and factual basis, informed by a news strategy, which has been consulted with the news staff. The SABC newsroom must be protected from personal vendettas and whims by some in management.

While we believe that management is within its right to decide on programme changes, but they need to be done in professional consultation with fellow managers and supported by rational reasons if they are to be cancelled.

The following programmes at issue are also the only audience interactive programmes on Channel 404;

Rights and Recourse – Following a meeting with Acting-GE: News Kenneth Makatees, staff was told that Rights and Recourse will be removed from Channel 404 schedule as from March 31 2018. However, on Friday the 23rd of February 2018, the team was told that their last show would be broadcast on Sunday the 25th of February without a further clarity.

Question Time – In the six months that Kenneth Makatees has been Acting as GE: News, he neglected to meet the Executive Producer about the programme’s performance. The Executive Producer had to hear from colleagues in the corridor about its cancellation before he was officially told by his line manager. The market intelligence figures show that this programme is the highest performing on the platform, therefore the decision to cut it is surprising. However, it is worth noting that this programme has annoyed news management in the past with its editorial independence and refusal to accept illegal instructions.

National Government events versus ANC party events
Radio Current Affairs programmes were told that they will not travel to Parliament during SONA citing financial reasons. We would accept this if all events were treated equally. However, there is a precedent set where we over deploy to ANC events but have financial constraints when we have public events like SONA and BUDGET. We broadcast for the country and not the party. Eighty people were deployed to East London during the ANC’s January 8th statement. However, when it came to the crunch time of the broadcast – the team in Johannesburg had to take over; despite an over deployment.

We call for an investigation into this misuse of SABC funds at a time when we are on economic austerity. Similar incidences such as the Cuba trip (to cover the death if former Cuban leader Fidel Castro) must be investigated.

Appointments
We wish to register concern about potential compromise of the process of appointing a Regional Editor in Kwa-Zulu Natal. We are aware of the fact that the process had to be halted because one of the interviewing panel members was conflicted and had not declared this. We call for a transparent recruitment process, free of undue influence where the best candidate must be appointed.

• We also call for an investigation into Senior news management appointments, both in the national office as well as the regions.
• SABC’s recruitment policy has been ignored in the appointment of a Provincial Editor in Limpopo. The appointment whose interviews, if any, were done secretively was made despite an on-going grievance procedure with the Acting/GCEO
• We demand an investigation into alleged sex for jobs at the Mpumalanga office and everywhere else where such allegations have been made.

Staff Vetting for National Keypoint
We demand a halt to the vetting process which violates our constitutional right to privacy and dignity. The SABC as a National Keypoint is a matter that needs further deliberation and until such time, we will not allow our rights to be violated in this manner.

Contracts
We request an investigation into the irregular and inconsistent decisions to renew some contracts for the News technical team, and decline to do so for others where reasons provided defy logic.

We also demand the speedy appointment of a permanent head of the TV News Resources department which continues to be run unprofessionally without any sense of accountability by those who act in that position.

 HR Responsiveness
There are cases that remain unresolved for many years, despite the knowledge of News HR. We demand responsive HR department that is willing and able to resolve issues of workers without any bias.

 SABC’S Editor-In-Chief
Following a number of concerning pronouncements about the expected role of the newly appointed COO, we wish to remind management that in terms of the 2004 editorial policy which is currently in force, the editor in chief of the SABC is the CEO and not the COO. The News department is headed by the GE News who reports to the CEO. We therefore demand clarity on the role and responsibility of the COO in light of the fact that the matter regarding the decision to cut programmes has been referred to the COO.

We urgently request a meeting between the board and staff to discuss the issues raised above.

Yours sincerely

The undersigned (signatures on attachment)

(SIGNED BY AT LEAST 116 KEY NEWS STAFF, WHICH INCLUDE EDITORS, PRODUCERS AND TECHNICAL STAFF)

BREAKING. SABC chairperson Zandile Tshabalala slams PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), blames Apartheid era tests for SABC's dismal skills audit report.

You're reading it here first.

Zandile Tshabala, chairperson of the SABC board, is ripping into PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) over the independent auditor firm's scathing skills audit report of the beleaguered South African public broadcaster, and is slamming PwC for allegedly using "outdated" tests on SABC staff she says was used under Apartheid.

The report from PwC from July 2013 about the SABC, was revealed in parliament on Tuesday. Members of parliament's portfolio committee on communications called the report and its findings "shocking", "very worrying" and a "reality check" for the SABC.

ThePwC report - besides a wide-ranging skills audit of SABC personnel such as asking them to sit for a numeracy test and others - also did fact-based auditing of qualifications such as authenticating matric and tertiary certificates on file.

Besides finding that the SABC is lacking strategic thinkers in tests, PwC asked SABC staff what they think of the public broadcaster as part of the audit. That involved no tests.

- SABC personnel responded that they "do not trust the SABC's management team, or the SABC board" and question "the ability of the above-mentioned". SABC staff had "a negative attitude towards the organisation".

- Not related to any tests and only document and file checking, the PwC report uncovered more than 2 200 SABC staff of which the SABC has no proof on file that they actually passed matric.

- Not related to any tests and only document and file checking, the PwC report uncovered 24 SABC personnel with fraudulent or "non-compliant" matric and Grade 10 certificates.

- The PwC report also found simply through file checking, that more than 100 SABC staff at the SABC of which the broadcaster has no personnel file.

- Not related to any tests and only document and file checking, the PwC audit found SABC staff with "non-related qualifications on file" for example a finance administrator with a diploma in beauty and health.

"One of the things that I'm personally concerned about, what tools did they use to check to make an assessment of competences?" Zandile Tshabalala said to Mpho Tsedu, the presenter of Question Time, the daily talk show on the SABC's own 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404).

Zandile Tshabalala went on to blast "competences tests" like "psychometric testing".

"There's competences like psychometric tests which has been dropped many years ago, because that was a system used in a racially divided society to marginalise certain people."

"So I'm very interested to understand the intricacies or methodologies that have been deployed by PwC to confirm certain findings in their report," said Zandile Tshabalala.

"The report was late," said Zandile Tshabalala. "The expectation was that the report was going to be ready in May last year, or something like that. The interim SABC board went to parliament and reported that the report was going to be slightly delayed. And the report finally landed at SABC."

"The report was seen by a few. But they were waiting to make sure that a new SABC board takes over an interrogate the report together with the executive to arrive at a decision. So there have been delays from our side as well, in terms of management and executive meeting and interrogating the report."

"But that does not justify the demeaning statements of saying people are not thinking. It's the worst insult," said Zandile Tshabalala.

"There are research companies who told us that president Zuma won't be president - I'm talking about reputable, top-recommended research companies. And Zuma became the president whether we liked it or we did not like it - Zuma is the current president of South Africa."

"Now even in consulting companies there's consulting companies that are credible, that supply sufficient information, and by no means am I suggesting that PwC is inefficient, but we all need to work with the executives to interrogate line by line of the presentations which have been presented," said Zandile Tshabalala.

Although the SABC got the report in mid 2013, Zandile Tshabala said "I can't say we've had enough time to run through the report with the executives to make sure".

BREAKING. eNCA secures and schedules special hour long episode of BBC's Question Time asking what about SA after Madiba's gone?

eNCA (DStv 403) has secured and scheduled a simply must-watch hour long special episode of the BBC's Question Time which will go out tonight, Saturday (14 December), asking in a hard-hitting panel discussion what South Africa's future hold now that Nelson Mandela is gone.

The special Question Time episode with host and moderator David Dimbleby which was filmed in Johannesburg in front of a live studio audience, will be repeated on eNCA on Sunday morning 15 December at 10:00.

The must-watch Question Time episode eNCA secured features an exceptionally fiery discussion regarding the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the future of South Africa following the death of the global icon.

Question Time panelists include Peter Hain (British MP), Pik Botha (South Africa's former minister of foreign affairs), Lindiwe Mazibuko (DA), Lindiwe Zulu (ANC), Eusebius McKaiser (political analyst) and Andile Mngzitama (EFF).

The panelists are asked whether it was wrong of the crowd at Nelson Mandela's memorial service to boo president Jacob Zuma, and how they perceive racism in South Africa.

BREAKING. SABC's new 24-hour news channel will start on 1 August, on DStv channel 404, in all 11 languages, with a lot of syndicated SABC shows.

The SABC's new 24-hour news channel will start broadcasting on 1 August and will no longer be just an announcement to launch on that day; it will start on MultiChoice's DStv channel 404; it will do news in all 11 official South African languages; and it will contain a lot of syndicated and repurposed SABC news programmes and shows already seen on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

The long gestating 24-hour news channel from the SABC went through many permutations and plans, false starts, failed launch dates, controversies and money shortages hampering the proposed plans the past three years.

It will now not only be announced at a launch event and press conference on 1 August but will also start broadcasting on 1 August.

The new 24-hour news channel finally replaces the discontinued SABC News International with MultiChoice paying hundreds of millions of rands to the SABC over multiple years for the news channel to be delivered to DStv.

MultiChoice declined to say how much money the corporate pay-TV provider is paying the public broadcaster for the delivery of what amounts to a public news service, saying "we can't comment on the terms of that agreement as the agreement is confidential".

The public broadcaster also declined to say specifically how much money the private satellite TV company is paying the SABC, saying "it's a commercial agreement between us and MultiChoice".

The new 24-hour news channel will only be available to MultiChoice's DStv subscribers and not to all SABC licence payers and will not be carried on On Digital Media's TopTV although "must carry" broadcasting regulations dictates that all SABC public television TV channels must be available on all pay-TV services.

The SABC will make the channel available later on digital terrestrial television (DTT) once that long-delayed switch-over from analogue broadcasting eventually starts in South Africa.

The SABC's news channel will broadcast primarily in English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho, Ndebele, SiSwati, Xhosa, Venda and Tsonga.

The new 24-hour news channel from the SABC will show Morning Live between 06:00 and 09:00 at the same time as it is broadcast on SABC2. Morning Live is SABC2 and the SABC's flagship morning breakfast show with a more newsier slant than SABC3's Expresso.

At 13:00 the SABC's news channel will simulcast News@1 at the same time it is seen on SABC3.

It will work the same way in which South Africa's other existing 24-hour news channel, eNCA (DStv 403), gives half an hour of News Day to e.tv at the same time in the afternoons and Morning News Today to replace e.tv's Sunrise on public holidays.

The SABC3's News at 18:30, the SABC's hour long flagship primetime news bulletin will also be shown at the same time on the new 24-hour news channel, followed by an hour long Afrikaans news bulletin from 19:30.

SABC2's existing A View from the House covering parliamentary proceedings in Cape Town will be simulcast at the same time, or shown at other times, during the weeks in which parliament is in session.

In between the end of Morning Live and News@1 in the mornings the SABC news channel will have Newsrooms LIVE which will be rolling coverage, commentary and reaction on the day's unfolding and already reported news of the previous day and stories making headlines in the morning.

During the afternoons and into the evening the SABC's news channel will bring viewers rolling news updates and do live crossings to SABC reporters across South Africa and the few at the SABC's remaining international news bureaux.

Other programmes on the SABC's 24-hour news channel include Question Time, an interview show with newsmakers and about topics, stories and issues in the news in South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world.

Kaleidoscope is the SABC news channel's programme focusing on arts, culture, lifestyle, travel and entertainment news.

Sports Live will be broadcast daily, covering the day's sports news from a SABC studio with studio guests and with live crossings.

Network will be like Tech Report on the eNCA, a show covering news on the technology front and covering and incorporating social media.

Media Monitor will be a bit like Maggs on Media on the eNCA, a show looking at the news behind the news and the media industry and issues the media is dealing with.

Edu Talk will be focused on covering educational issues and topics in South Africa.