Memorial for SABC journalist Suna Venter: 'We all giggled waiting for the utterances of the madman, but at least Suna lived to see the back of Hlaudi at the SABC'.

At the memorial service of the SABC journalist Suna Venter, media freedom fighters courageously spoke out about the ongoing tyranny at South Africa's public broadcaster and eloquently called for an ongoing focus and effort against censorship and oppression inside the SABC corridors where they say Hlaudi Motsoeneng enforcers remain.

Heavy caliber and staunch press and freedom of expression fighters in South Africa on Thursday afternoon used the hauntingly emotional memorial service of the SABC journalist Suna Venter who died a week ago from broken heart syndrome, to call for support for the ongoing fight for the soul of the SABC.

Media heavy weights called on the SABC that has done nothing so far about it, to launch an urgent investigation into the threats and attacks on the so-called SABC8 journalists who stood up against the SABC TV news censorship decree of the controversial and now fired former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Refusing to go along, they were fired, harassed, threatened, went to court, were reinstated and the SABC's censorship order declared illegal by the broadcaster regulator.

On Thursday afternoon the SABC decided not to broadcast or live stream through its SABC News resources the late Thursday afternoon memorial service of one of its own held inside the SABC at the public broadcaster's M1 Studios at Auckland Park, leaving eNCA (DStv 403) as the only TV news channel providing a streaming TV feed.

While top-ranking SABC executives were notably absent, the broadcaster's acting chief operating officer (COO) Bessie Tugwana, dressed in pink, was spotted stoically sitting and listening among the gathered mourners.

The courageous SABC's economics editor Thandeka Gqubule, one of the SABC8, welcomed the now eNCA prime time anchor Vuyo Mvoko - also one of the SABC8 journalists and who got fired by the SABC - back to the public broadcaster.

"Welcome back to the SABC, Vuyo," she said.

"It looks and feels very weird that I'm back inside the SABC," he said. "It's weird that eNCA, a private broadcaster, is live streaming this event to South Africa, right from within the SABC."


SOS Coalition: SABC must investigate SABC8 threats
Duduetsang Makuse, national coordinator of the SOS Coalition, the large civil society public pressure group dedicated to proper public broadcasting in South Africa, spoke at Suna Venter's memorial and said that "wild scale injustice" continues to flourish at the SABC.

"The SABC has a lot to answer for. At the time that Suna received threats on her life, the SABC was dismissive and callous in its response".

"The SABC statement by spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago at the time noted: 'Our message is very clear that this is a matter for the police. If the police will not do what they must do, then this has nothing to do with the SABC."

"No member of the SABC8 has received a formal apology for the offensive response and the behaviour of the then SABC board and senior management," said Duduetsang Makuse.

"We are also not aware of anyone being held accountable for any of the threats that were made against the group. We know that Hlaudi Motsoeneng and his enforcers - even though he has left, are still in place at the SABC."

"We know that too many others are being threatened. Many other journalists and other members of society are fearful of speaking the truth."

"There must be an investigation into the threats against her and others of the SABC8, so many named and unnamed other media workers as well."

"It's absolutely imperative that one of the actions the new SABC board must take, is to investigate the SABC's complicity in the threats, and to ensure that those behind the harassment and intimidation are identified and held accountable," said Duduetsang Makuse.


'The fight is not over. Oppressors never give up.'
The veteran journalist and highly respected SABC interim board deputy chairperson Mathata Tsedu said "what Suna Venter and the rest of the SABC8 were faced with, is not a new fight. That they were able to come back to work doesn't mean that victory was attained".

"Freedom is never won. It's defended," he said.

"When I heard that Suna had died, I thought to myself: Did I do enough? Did we as a people do enough to defend this freedom that we have?"

"And I said to myself, I didn't. We were all giggling and waiting for the next unimaginable utterances of the madman Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Meanwhile this asset, the SABC, was going down - until Suna and the SABC8 said this far and no further, whatever the price is."

"They were able to come back. Many more were not able to come back here. They were paid off and told to bugger off," said Mathata Tsedu.

"If there is a lesson in all of this and in Suna Venter's life, it is that each one of us must understand that in this wheel of change that must happen in South Africa, in the change that must propel us forward, there is a piece in that wheel where only my shoulders plug in."

"The fight is not over. Oppressors never give up," said Mathata Tsedu. "Hlaudi Motsoeneng was trying to get into Nasrec two days ago, claiming to be an ANN7 (DStv 405) analyst. So they never give up."

"At least Suna Venter lived to see the back of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, here [at the SABC]. Even if we have failed in many other respects, there are things that we have put in place that all of us as a nation need to help propel forward."

"I hope Suna, little one, that wherever you are, in whatever has been said here, you are able to recognise yourself."


Editor's Forum: Too many silent as they giggled at Hlaudi
Mahlatse Gallens, chairperson of the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) said that "our hearts are broken that 23 years into democracy, we are fighting against censorship".

"It's exactly a year ago that we stood outside this very building, protesting against the tyranny that has befallen the SABC".

"The SABC is way too big and way too important to our democracy to fail. Suna forced those who decided to sit idly by and be complicit in the tyranny to finally do the right thing. Too many were silent as we struggled and they giggled as Hlaudi Motsoeneng was saying whatever stupid things he was saying," said Mahlatse Gallens.

"While those who thought that they could end independent journalism within the public broadcaster are slowly starting to be held to account, we know that the journey will be long, it will be hard, and it demands all of us to be Suna Venter."

Vuyo Mvoko said "to SABC journalists who have finally found their voices, it's never late. Thank you for doing whatever you could do. Keep standing up. Keep pushing back. It's the only way we can defend our hard-won freedoms."

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng sees to it that all 8 suspended SABC journalists are fired without disciplinaries; news anchor Ivor Price resigns.

Where to begin with the trash-crush and crises-riddled demimonde that is the SABC?

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng - as chief operating officer (COO) the boss over all operations of the SABC - has now seen to it that all 8 of the suspended SABC journalists, known as the #SABC8 are immediately fired.

1. All 8 were fired, without due process, without any disciplinary hearings, and with blatant disregard for South Africa's labour law and by only getting an email, simply for voicing their concern and another opinion to the draconian and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng's 26 May diktat that the SABC's SABC TV News division must censor news coverage of public protests and not show the destruction of property.

On Tuesday a day after the SABC outright fired Suna Venter (senior journalist), Foeta Krige (RSG executive editor), Jacques Steenkamp (senior investigative journalist) and Krivani Pillay (SAfm current affairs executive producer) with a letter from Sebolelo Ditlhakanyane, the SABC's head of news and actuality, the SABC also fired the other 4.

On Tuesday the SABC fired Busisiwe Ntuli (specialist producer for the investigative programme Special Assignment on SABC3), Lukhanyo Calata (a SABC journalist in Cape Town whose father Fort Calata was one of the Cradock Four anti-Apartheid struggle activists), and Thandeka Gqubule (economics editor) with dismissal letters.

Contributing editor Vuyo Mvoko as the 8th person of the #SABC8 group who spoke out against SABC censorship was a freelance journalist and the SABC terminated his contract.

The letters firing the other 4 SABC journalists were carbon copies of the firing letters of the first four, this one signed by Nyana Molete, the latest in a string of SABC news staffers filling the position as acting head of SABC News since everyone keeps quitting or getting fired.

"It is common cause that you have made it known to the SABC that you will continue to disrespect the SABC, your employer," reads the firing letter.

"It has now become clear to the SABC that you have no intention to refrain from your conduct of undermining the SABC and the authority of its management. In the premise your continued acts of misconduct have become intolerable. Your employment with the SABC is thus terminated with immediate effect."


2. The SABC TV News anchor Ivor Price resigned.
Ivor Price, a SABC TV News anchor on SABC2 who is also a presenter on the Afrikaans SABC radio station RSG, resigned, saying he could no longer remain silent, telling Netwerk24 in an open letter than Hlaudi Motsoeneng's "poisonous tentacles have infested the entire SABC."

"Even if Hlaudi Motsoeneng is fired tomorrow or resigns, it will take long for SABC journalists to get over the fear."


3. Political and other reaction - and those staying silent.
Meanwhile the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, and a backer and ally of the controversial and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng, has remained completely silent, not saying or doing anything, and doing nothing to resolve the growing number of crises at the SABC.

The ANC political party when asked for comment over the SABC's firing of the 8 journalists, said "no comment".

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in a statement said the firing of the 8 SABC journalists who questioned the SABC's censorship decision was a "reflection of structurally deeper administrative and governance decay" at the SABC.

The Democratic Alliance political party who on Tuesday held a public protest at parliament said action must continue until the integrity of the SABC is restored. "The ANC are complicit in the complete breakdown of good governance at the SABC".

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) says in a statement it ts shocked by the firing of the 8 journalists without due process and deeply distressed over the ever-unfolding crisis at the SABC, saying it will possibly call on its members to stop paying their SABC TV licences.

"If the impasse at the SABC is not resolved without delay the IFP will again call on its rank and file to stop paying their TV licences as a form of protest."

The COPE political party says in a statement that the SABC is "an illegitimate institution overseen by an illegitimate COO".

COPE says it "urges South Africans to withhold their SABC TV licence fees" and is calling on "every advertiser to cancel with the SABC with immediate effect. Their failure to act appropriately will signify that they place no premium on freedom of expression and the rule of law".

The Organisation Against Tax Abuse (Outa) is called for an urgent investigation the non-existent Faith Muthambi into the SABC.

"By dismissing these journalists‚ the SABC's autocratic leadership will simply engender more fear and cause less inclusiveness to critical internal discussion and debate," says Outa.

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) on Tuesday called for an urgent parliamentary meeting over the crisis-riddled SABC and its latest shame.

"Parliament is once again failing to exercise its constitutional responsibilities to hold the executive and the SABC board to account. The rebuke the National Assembly recently received from the Constitutional Court ruling in the Nkandla matter appears to have fallen on deaf ears," says Casac.

The Right2Know Campaign and SOS Coalition calls Hlaudi Motsoeneng a tyrant, saying the firing of the 8 SABC journalists was a "show trial" with "trumped-up and nonsensical charges".

"It is the sort of thing we now expect under the tyranny of COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng."

"It is also telling of the complicity of higher-ups, like Faith Muthambi who insist on propping up the COO, in contempt of the courts and the Public Protector."

"This has continued as the SABC lurches from crisis to crisis, as the climate of fear for journalists grows and even as unions, civil society, opposition parties, and even factions of the governing party condemn Hlaudi Motsoeneng".


4. Trade unions: The Communication Workers Union (CWU) who got a raise from Hlaudi Motsoeneng recently says it supports Hlaudi Motsoeneng and his SABC censorship isn't saying or doing anything.

Bemawu says it will take the SABC to Labour Court after firing the 8 SABC journalists without disciplinary hearings, no due process, no warning letter and over something that's not even a fireable offense. That is besides the trade union Solidariteit that is also taking the SABC to the Labour Court over the same issue.

The Mwasa trade union in an open letter slammed the matricless broadcasting demagogue, telling Hlaudi Motsoeneng that "the world will not be silent as you continue your viral destruction and wreak havoc". Mwasa told Hlaudi Motsoeneng to "just resign and leave".


5. Amnesty International in a strongly-worded statement said firing the 8 SABC journalists is "a cynical and sinister ploy to entrench fear".

"The dismissal of eight SABC journalists following their suspension over their questioning of editorial decisions by the broadcaster's executives is a cynical and sinister decision designed to entrench a climate of fear at the institution‚" says Muleya Mwananyanda‚ Amnesty International's deputy director for Southern Africa.

"Their dismissals will only serve to undermine journalistic and media freedoms at the SABC. The eight journalists must be re-instated immediately".


6. Longtime SABC news staffers told TVwithThinus on Tuesday: "In the last year this [SABC] has become one of the ugliest and most oppressive places I've ever worked at" and "Every step further where nothing happens to him, he [Hlaudi Motsoeneng] feels emboldened to go further".


7.Scared SABC news staffers no longer want to cover and report on SABC stories, fearful they will end up in internal SABC real politik cross fire.

8.SABC bad reputation damaged further. SABC PR tzar Kaizer Kganyago who wasn't available for comment according to several reports, told one newspaper after the firings that the SABC "isn't concerned about and won't be influenced by the public reaction over the dismissals".

Meanwhile the SABC continues to make front page, lurid headlines in newspapers across South Africa ... literally daily (weekdays and on weekends non-stop) that's trashing the SABC's already trash reputation and its negative brand perception.


9. It's deja vu at the SABC (1) where the Public Protector found in her February 2014 report that Hlaudi Motsoeneng was directly involved in getting rid of every single SABC staffer who opposed him and who testified against him in earlier disciplinary hearings against him.


10.It's deja vu at the SABC (2) where the Public Protector found in her February 2014 report that Hlaudi Motsoeneng's last purge of SABC staff cost the beleaguered public broadcaster millions of rand, finding that firing senior employees "had cost the broadcaster millions, due to its procedural and substantive injustices".

"Most of the cases were handled without following proper procedure. All 14 suspensions and terminations were successfully challenged in court and at the CCMA".

The avoidable legal fees and payouts ballooned the SABC's salary bill with a massive R29 million that was unnecessary, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure.


News round-up:
■ Ray White, now assignment editor at Eyewitness News who worked at the SABC, says at the SABC a "Hlaud has dimmed the SABC's bright future", detailing how a young Hlaudi Motsoeneng was essentially a moron and struggled and was transferred to Bloemfontein.

"Journalists are no longer in charge of bringing you the news - the SABC is now the news."

■ Meanwhile after the SABC fired its 8 suspended journalists, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is slamming South African brands like Wimpy, Checkers, Vodacom, Clientele Life, Spur and others saying they better weigh the damage they do to their own brand being associated with and directly supporting censorship and undermining South Africa's democracy.

■ Meanwhile initially over R50 000 in donations was made by South Africans to help the fired journalists climbing to over R84 000 late on Tuesday from 124 people.

■ Trade union Solidarity says the SABC is behaving like a kangaroo court,

■ Daily Maverick has Ranjeni Munusamy weighing in on Hlaudi's Kill Bill: The Slippery Slide towards manipulating the news and that what started out as an attack on media freedom is fast becoming an attack on democracy.

SABC fires 4 of its suspended 8 journalists - Suna Venter, Foeta Krige‚ Jacques Steenkamp and Krivani Pillay - for opposing Hlaudi Motsoeneng's SABC News censorship edict.

Without any disciplinary hearings, the SABC has outright suddenly fired 4 out of the SABC's 8 suspended journalists on Monday afternoon who were suspended for merely speaking out against SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng's sudden SABC News censorship policy.

The four journalists – Suna Venter, Foeta Krige‚ Jacques Steenkamp and Krivani Pillay – received a letter of dismissal on Monday afternoon from Sebolelo Ditlhakanyane, the SABC's head of news and actuality that they're fired.

"It is common cause that you have made it known to the SABC that you will continue to disrespect the SABC, your employer," read the SABC letter.

"It has now become clear to the SABC that you have no intention to refrain from your conduct of undermining the SABC and the authority of its management."

"In the premise your continued acts of misconduct have become intolerable. Your employment with the SABC is thus terminated with immediate effect, being 18 July 2016".

The sudden firing, without due process and in contravention of South Africa's labour laws, has strong echoes of what the chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng did, according to the Public Protector's February 2014 report.

The Public Protector found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng was directly involved in the purge, and got rid of every single person at the SABC who opposed him and who testified against him when he had disciplinary hearings earlier against him at the SABC for transgressions.

Last week the 8 SABC journalists, known as the #SABC8, filed an urgent application to South Africa's Constitutional Court to have their charges declared unlawful.

The trade union Solidarity representing the 8 SABC journalists said it would apply this Thursday to the Labour Court for an urgent interdict to have their suspensions set aside.

The other four suspended SABC journalists are Thandeka Gqubule‚ Busisiwe Ntuli‚ Lukhanyo Calata and Vuyo Mvoko.

A week ago the Independent Communications Authority of South African (Icasa) ruled that Hlaudi Motsoeneng's censorship of the SABC News' coverage of public protests is wrong and ordered the crisis-riddled public broadcaster to reverse its ban on visuals of property destruction during public protests, backdated to 26 May 2016 when the SABC took the decision.

On the same day after the decision, Hlaudi Motsoeneng said the SABC won't comply with the broadcasting regulator's ruling and that "no-one will tell us what to do".

SABC adds 'further misconduct' charges to 3 of its 8 suspended SABC News journalists for 'informing the media about their suspensions'.

The crisis-riddled SABC has added "further misconduct" charges against 3 of its 8 suspended SABC News journalists, charging Foeta Krige, Thandeka Gqubule and Suna Venter among other things with "informing the media about their suspensions".

The SABC at the same time decided to "indefinitely postpone" the disciplinary hearing against Foeta Krige, Thandeka Gqubule and Suna Venter. Their disciplinary hearings were set to take place on Monday.

We are urgently appealing to all South Africans to stand firmly behind the suspended journalists to stamp out the SABC’s attack on press freedom," says Dirk Hermann, the head of Solidarity.

"We are calling for the immediate suspension of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, COO of the SABC, pending an investigation into his ability to manage the SABC," says Solidarity.

Foeta Krige, the executive editor of Monitor and Spektrum on the SABC's RSG radio station, journalist Suna Venter and SABC business editor Thandeka Gqubule were suspended by the SABC last month after they dared to say in a daily news diary meeting that they're don't agree with the SABC's censorship to not cover any of the Right2Know Campaign's public protests at SABC offices countrywide.

The SABC blocking any coverage of the Right2Know Campaign's public protests over SABC censorship, came after the SABC in May announced that it will be censoring SABC TV news visuals of public protests that contain destruction of property.

The SABC has meanwhile also suspended and is taking disciplinary action against 5 other SABC News staffers.

Busisiwe Ntuli‚ Jacques Steenkamp and Krivani Pillay were suspended after they sent a collective letter to SABC chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng requesting a meeting over SABC News and censorship policies after Jimi Matthews quit two weeks ago.

The SABC ordered the SABC contributing editor Vuyo Mvoko to give reasons why his contract shouldn't be terminated after writing about "My Hell at the SABC" as a front page newspaper article.

Lukhanyo Calata was charged with a disciplinary hearing after writing a scathing opinion-editorial on the SABC.

Solidarity says it will approach the Constitutional Court this week for a case to test the SABC's SABC TV News censorship decision. Solidarity will also go to the Labour court to get an interdict against the SABC's disciplinary process against the suspended journalists.

Solidarity said it welcomes the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) ruling today against the SABC's decision to censor SABC TV news public protest visuals.

"The ruling proves that the SABC, under the guidance of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, did not act within the framework of the Constitution. We therefore request that all charges against the suspended SABC employees be withdrawn and that Hlaudi Motsoeneng be removed from his position as chief operating officer of the SABC immediately, pending an investigation".

"Icasa's ruling is a victory for the ethical SABC journalists who, despite unlawful instructions and intimidation, stood up for constitutional principles," says Solidarity.

SABC News provides another half hour of Afrikaans news per day at 19:30 on the public broadcaster's 24-hour TV news channel.

The 24-hour TV news channel SABC News (DStv 404) from the South African public broadcaster has added another new half hour of Afrikaans news to television per day with the Afrikaans news broadcast every day at 19:30, and repeated at 02:00.

The additional half hour of Afrikaans news is broadcast live at 19:30 on SABC News, following the existing half hour of Afrikaans news at 19:00 on SABC2.

News readers for the Afrikaans news on SABC News include Ivor Price and Suna Venter (above) and Erik Holm (Riaan from the soap Binneland on kykNET) and Lynette Francis from Fokus on SABC2 (below).

(Suna Venter and Lynette Francis also read the Afrikaans news on SABC2.)

Since SABC News launched at the beginning of August, neither the SABC nor the SABC News channel has made any information available or communicated any programming specific information about the Afrikaans news, nor who the news readers are, nor responded to any of the multiple media enquiries made about it and the channel the past weeks.

Suna Venter to anchor SABC2's Afrikaans Nuus om 7 from this evening for the first time, as Terrance April goes on long leave.

You're reading it here first. 

Suna Venter will be anchoring SABC2's main Afrikaans TV news bulletin, Nuus om 7, at 19:00 tonight.

It will be Suna Venter's first time behind the news anchor desk of the Afrikaans television news; she will now be standing in for Terrance April who is on long leave and the plan is to

No announcement to the press from SABC2, SABC Television news, or the SABC.

Earlier in the week I reported on Lynette Francis, the anchor of Fokus on SABC2 who've stepped in the past while to anchor Nuus om 7 - no word yet on whether that is a permanent or helping out on a freelance basis arrangement.

UPDATE 17 May 15:00 - The SABC now tells me both Lynette Francis and Suna Venter are freelance news anchors. All of the SABC's news anchors are working on a freelance basis and SABC News makes use of their services if and when they are available.

Lynette Francis has a standard contract to do the Nuus om 7 for SABC2 until the end of March 2014.

As I've reported the SABC says "we have just signed Suna Venter, a popular RSG current affairs journalist and producer. She'll be debuting tonight, with another presentation on Sunday evening. Suna Venter will mainly be standing in for Terrance April, who's on long leave."