The Newsroom studio guest starts smoking a dagga joint on the SABC's SABC News channel on DStv.

A studio guest started smoking dagga live on the air on The Newsroom on the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404) on MultiChoice's DStv, on Monday during an interview about the legalisation or not of cannabis in South Africa and later admitted to doing so.

The on-air incident came in the same programme on SABC News, The Newsroom, a month after the show's regular anchor Eben Jansen was caught in an on-air outburst during an interview with the EFF spokesperson which quickly degenerated and which saw Eben Jansen suspended indefinitely after the SABC said he wasn't emotionally fit to be on air.  

Although it is illegal to smoke inside and with smoking not allowed in SABC buildings and definitely not inside SABC studios, Andre du Plessis, head of the Cannabis Working Group, suddenly lit up with a dagga joint on SABC News and started smoking and puffing while The Newsroom cameras kept him on the air and showing his dagga smoking to viewers.

According to South Africa's existing cannabis law, dagga, known also as "marijuana" and "weed" remains illegal in the country.

On Monday Andre du Plessis was sparring live on SABC News with David Bayever, deputy chairperson of the Central Drug Authority (CDA) over the legalisation or not of dagga.

SABC News went back to a puffing Andre du Plessis, for any possible "closing comments" but he blew smoke at the camera, saying "that's all I got to say" after which the camera followed him as he got up, pulled his ear piece out, and walked off camera and out of the studio.

"The SABC broadcaster and the SABC Newsroom do not condone the actions of our guest Andre du Plessis," said the SABC after the incident and that the views expressed during the interview were not those of the SABC but that of the guests.

Later on Monday in an interview with rival 24-hour TV news channel eNCA (DStv 403) on DStv, Andre du Plessis admitted that he was smoking dagga. "I'm going to admit it. During the live interview [on SABC News] you saw the pictures of people smoking it in Cape Town."

"The only thing I could do was really sit back and smoke a joint," Andre du Plessis said.

SABC apologises for rude SABC News anchor Eben Jansen's 'completely uncalled for and unprofessional' behaviour.

The SABC this afternoon apologised to the EFF political party's spokesperson Mbuyeseni Ndlozi for the "completely uncalled for and unprofessional" behaviour of The Newsroom anchor Eben Jansen on SABC News (DStv 404) last week during a shocking live interview which saw the anchor yanked off the air indefinitely.

"The behaviour of the host, Eben Jansen, was completely uncalled for and unprofessional," the SABC said in a statement.

"The SABC has instituted disciplinary and corrective measures to ensure that Eben Jansen understands the severity of his transgression."

Eben Jansen will remain off the air and will not appear on the SABC or SABC News "until news management deems it appropriate for his return," said the SABC.

"The presenter, Eben Jansen, and his behaviour is not something that we condone as the organisation. That is why we are apologising unreservedly to him and to his organisation, the EFF," says Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson.

"The SABC will not tolerate the kind of behaviour that was meted out to Mbuyeseni Ndlozi," says the SABC's group head executive for news Jimi Matthews in the statement.

"While it is appreciated that Eben Jansen has apologised for his poor professional conduct, corrective measures have been taken to ensure that such an incident never occurs again in the future."

Here is the on-air apology SABC News (DStv 404) made on Wednesday evening:

SABC's SABC News such a mess that two of president Jacob Zuma's wives are invited to The Newsroom, who then start fighting with each other.

The SABC's guest booking at SABC News (DStv 404) is such a mess and the internal communication so bad that two of president Jacob Zuma's wives were invited as guests to Eben Jansen's The Newsroom - with both who showed up and then started fighting with each other in front of SABC staff, and then both left leaving SABC News and the show with none to interview.

The Mail& Guardian reports that Bongi Ngema and Tobeka Madiba both showed up for the very same interview, on the very same programme on SABC News' The Newsroom, about the very same topics - without ever having been told about each other by the SABC, after both were invited.

The women starting fighting with each other and screaming in Auckland Park in full view of staff and then accused the SABC of setting them up.

They both left after the highly embarrassing booking blunder of the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel. The Newsroom wanted one of the wives to talk given that it was Women's Day.

The SABC's head of TV news, Jimi Matthews, apparently had to intervene but both women left since neither wanted to appear on the SABC and the SABC News channel after the incident.

Since president Jacob Zuma and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) has close ties, one of president Jacob Zuma's wives even threatened to call Hlaudi Motsoeneng directly to complain.

"It was ugly and embarrassing," a source told the Mail & Guardian.

BREAKING. The Newsroom from producer Aaron Sorkin renewed for a third - but final - season.

The Newsroom from executive producer Aaron Sorkin, an HBO series from America broadcast in South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) has been renewed, but its upcoming third season will also be its last.

The Newsroom with Jeff Daniels as news anchor Will McAvoy, is set behind the scenes at the fictitious ACN 24-hour TV news channel and the daily primetime news show News Night.

It interestingly and co-incidentally shares its name with the real-life primetime news show News Night on South Africa's most watched 24-hour TV news channel, eNCA (DStv 403).

"The Newsroom is classic Aaron Sorkin – smart, riveting and thought-provoking," says Michael Lombardo, HBO programming president. "I'm sure this farewell season will be one to remember."

RECAP. 'Another story making headlines this morning ...' The 2nd episode of The Newsroom on M-Net filled with more truthy bons mots.

Viewers got to see the morning diary and editorial and production staff meeting in the conference room in the second episode of The Newsroom on M-Net tonight at 20:30 - and lots of insider truths got revealed in this new TV drama chronicling the business of journalism.

Newsroom meetings are really like that. Journalists and reporters fight for their own stories, news editors say yes or no or assign them differently (or not), everyone - with limited resources of space, airtime minutes and physical time, talk about what's possible for the day and what's not. 

Yes there's posturing from people to try and to do their stories. The more senior you are the more outspoken you are, the more you get away with getting your way.

Some are always surprised at who got whom to talk and who got what eye-opening titbit of information from a source, spokesperson or have finally managed to clinch an interview after working at it over a very long period of time.

Did you hear when the new executive producer MacKenzie said she defines how good stories are "by the source; I define it by the number of relevant facts it contains and I define it by an X factor that I trust Will and myself to determine by using our combined five decades in the field".

"The media is biased towards success, and the media is biased to wards fairness," is another good quote from tonight's second episode. What does it mean? It means that there are not really two sides to every story. Some stories have five sides and some stories only have one. 

Then there's the "revelation" that TV news start often with the hook of a sad Johnny (my words from the industry trade term - not used in the episode) where a sad example (a "Johnny") is often used to lead off a story with, "It's emotionally manipulative" viewers heard in The Newsroom. "I don't want to feel sorry for anybody. I want the facts."

Then there's the great reporter who does menial work reading the morning news because she's actually so good and an economist at heart and using her small platform to actually try and do good work. "

And the news anchor Will: "We're not setting out to lose viewers, only bringing better news for the ones we've got." 

What good advice is it in the end (for any media outletor platform), when MacKenzie muses: "This show needs to be loved by strangers - not by our show" [meaning: it should be made for the public, not for the people who work at making it].

BREAKING. The Newsroom and True Blood both renewed for further seasons.

Both The Newsroom, the new drama series starting on M-Net on Monday 6 August at 20:30 and True Blood, also back on M-Net, have been renewed for further seasons.


The Newsroom set at the fictional news channel ACN with Jeff Daniels playing a news anchor, has been renewed for a second season after just two episodes. The vampire drama True Blood has been renewed for a sixth season.


HBO in America didn't specify how many episodes it will be ordering for the second season of The Newsroom, but it will most likely also be 10, the same as the first season.

BREAKING. M-Net scoops new drama The Newsroom; will start on 6 August at 20:30.

You're reading it here first. 

Breaking news! (and well done.) M-Net has scooped the rights to the brand-new upcoming drama The Newsroom by Aaron Sorkin which I can exclusively reveal, will start on M-Net on Monday 6 August at 20:30.

The Newsroom starts this Sunday in America on HBO - imagine The West Wing, set inside, and behind-the-scenes of a 24 hour news channel such as the eNews Channel, CNN, MSNBC or the Fox News Channel.

Everything starts when the one veteran news anchorWill McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) visits a university where his off-hand remark while he rails about the state of the media and news creates instant buzz. Now all eyes are on him and the (fictional) 24 hour news channel, Atlantis Cable News (ACN) and his prime time news show News Night.

And how coincidental: the eNews Channel's prime time daily news broadcast in South Africa with Jeremy Maggs is also called ... News Night.

Clever viewers will hopefully love this drama about the media and news and meta media and media memes.