After eNCA's 5 year blackout the TV news channel will cover events of South Africa's EFF political party again

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's eNCA (DStv 403) TV news channel will do on-the-ground coverage again of the country's EFF political party after a 5-year blackout, starting with this weekend's national people's assembly gathering set to take place at Nasrec in Johannesburg.

eMedia's eNCA stopped giving any physical coverage of the Economic Freedom Fighters party 5 years ago after eNCA decided to pull out of the EFF's national people's assembly gathering in 2019, after EFF leader Julius Malema called an eNCA reporter "a stupid journalist" after asking a question.

eNCA also said it's exiting from EFF coverage since the political party banned news media like The Daily Maverick, amaBhungane and Scorpio from its conference in 2019.

Since then, for the past 5 years, eNCA has not tried to cover and report on EFF-related on-the-ground news. Although eNCA kept reporting on the EFF, it has not actively attended any EFF events or actively done coverage or interviews with the political party.

In a statement on Thursday the EFF says "Following the fallout when eNCA pulled out of the 2nd national people's assembly in 2019, eNCA and the EFF have started a new chapter".

"eNCA acknowledges that the decision to pull out was unfortunate. Furthermore, both parties acknowledge it took longer than it was necessary to resolve the impasse."

"eNCA and the EFF recognise the vital role the media and political entities play in deepening democracy."

THe EFF says "Moving forward, both parties have affirmed their shared commitment to fostering an environment of mutual respect and collaboration. We will work together in a manner that prioritises transparency, accountability and the public interest."

eMedia and eNCA haven't issued any statement on Thursday or explained anything about the reconciliation with the EFF party from the TV news channel's side.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party demands the SABC 'pay back the money' after minister Bathabile Dlamini's scandalous pay-for-play interview on Real Talk with Anele on SABC3.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party is demanding that the SABC "pay back the money as it is complicit in the corruption of the minister" after the scandalous pay-for-play revelation that the minister of social development Bathabile Dlamini paid thousands of rands to the broadcaster so that she could be interviewed on Real Talk with Anele on SABC3.

The shocking revelation on Wednesday that the SABC accepts money for a politician to be interviewed on its airwaves - and not even disclosing it - has inflicted massive further reputational and brand damage on the SABC's credibility as a public broadcaster.

The scandal is also doing damage to the image of talk show host Anele Mdoda, the production company Cheeky Media and the show's executive producers Yusuf Stevens and Janez Vermeiren, as well as SABC3.

So far there been no official statements from the SABC, Cheeky Media, SABC3 or Anele Mdoda, with Cheeky Media that referred media enquiries to the SABC, and the SABC that hasn't responded with answers to media enquiries made on Wednesday.

The report from Daily Maverick exposed a horrific lapse of SABC editorial control and safeguards, standards and ethics.

Real Talk with Anele, Cheeky Media and the SABC, are in breach of the SABC's own editorial policy that clearly states that "where there is programme sponsorship, the sponsor's association with the programme has to be stated clearly, both before and after the programme".

They are also in breach of the SABC's editorial policy in terms of "information programming" that states that the SABC should "disclose all the essential facts and not suppress relevant, available facts".

Likewise infomercials and paid-for content in programmes on the SABC "must be labelled in such a way as to make clear that they are not programme material" the SABC's editorial policy states.

"We call on the SABC board to immediately institute an investigation and all who are guilty must face prosecution," said the EFF in a statement on Thursday.

"In addition, we call on parliament to also take the necessary steps to discipline the minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini."

"The EFF condemns the department of social development and SABC for exchanging R500 000 of taxpayers’ money for Bathabile Dlamini to talk about herself on the SABC3 programme Real Talk with Anele."

"This is consistent with how ministers in general have been paying Gupta Business Breakfast briefings on SABC for interviews. Here, not only have departments paid The New Age, also SABC has itself done so."

"The EFF rejects the justification that Bathabile Dlamini’s interview was an advert for the work she does in government."

"The 80% of the interview was about herself and the ANC Women's League. In essence, taxpayers’ money was used to profile Bathabile Dlamini and not government social development work."

The EFF statement comes after the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party that in a statement also said Bathabile Dlamini must pay back the R500 000 that "could have paid more than 300 social grants. It is shocking that the department had the audacity to supposedly use public money for an interview".

"It is mandated to serve the poor, needy and vulnerable within our society, it is not mandated to use taxpayers' money to make floundering ministers look good." The DA said it would submit a range of parliamentary questions to "get to the bottom of this likely abuse of taxpayers' money".

So far the SABC board has been silent over the scandal.

There's been no comment or statement from SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini.

The SABC board also has journalists serving on it in the form of Mathatha Tsedu and John Matisonn with neither who have said anything so far about the latest scandal rocking the South African public broadcaster's credibility.

In July 2017 the SABC interim board member Mathatha Tsedu (now a permanent SABC board member) addressed the SABC's damaged credibility problem in South Africa's parliament and said "every time there is a cycle of bad news around the SABC, the revenues from the SABC TV licences dip."

"How do you get credibility back into the products that the SABC produces? The credibility of the SABC is not just judged by how Muvhango's story line is going or how 7de Laan's story line is going. The major credibility point of the SABC is its news output."

Political parties demand parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly 'corrupt' and 'unethical' dealings with Gupta-linked ANN7 and Faith Muthambi.

Political parties are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly "corrupt" and "unethical" dealings with the controversial Gupta family and its highly-criticised ANN7 channel, as well as the controversial former minister of communications, Faith Muthambi.

Both the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA) reacted swiftly to fresh revelations that MultiChoice is paying ANN7 a staggering R141 380 000 per year for the low-rated and little watched channel.

ANN7 has been much criticised for its ongoing mistakes, biased coverage and for allegedly inciting racial discord in South Africa using DStv's platform to do so.

MultiChoice also made a dubious R25 million once-off payment to the Guptas for ANN7.

Both the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA) political parties on Friday called for a parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly "corrupt" dealings with the Guptas and politicians over the ANN7 channel.

The DA's member of parliament Phumzile Van Damme told TVwithThinus that "we believe that this issue be investigated by parliament, as part of the broader State Capture inquiries undertaken by the different committees in Parliament."

"We are in particular seriously concerned about MultiChoice, and what appears to be unethical conduct in this regard relating to the Gupta family. We intend on getting to the bottom of this."

The EFF's member of parliament Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in a statement says "The EFF condemns the corrupt relations of MultiChoice and Faith Muthambi which suppressed competition within the pay-TV industry with disgust".

"The recent revelations in the #GuptaLeaks show how Faith Muthambi as minister of communications worked with the Guptas to solicit bribes in exchange for protection of MultiChoice from the competition".

"Koos Bekker's company, MultiChoice, paid millions to the Guptas, through ANN7, in exchange for Faith Muthambi to adopt the policy of unencryption in the set-top boxes for digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration."

"The Guptas, through their influence on Jacob Zuma and Faith Muthambi, managed to guarantee their stay on the DStv platform whilst being remunerated unreasonable amounts of money despite their low audience numbers," says Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

"It is clear that MultiChoice was paying them for securing a DTT policy in relation to set-top boxes that would maintain them as the sole players in the pay-TV space."

'The EFF calls on parliament to hold an inquiry into the Gupta influence over Faith Muthambi. In this inquiry, companies like MultiChoice must be held accountable publicly for their criminal activities in the sector, suppressing competition in favour of their domination."

"The EFF will also be reporting MultiChoice to the Competition Commission to investigate how they influenced the policy on set-top boxes in favour of their market domination."

Court grants urgent interdict against EFF; bars the political party from threatening, interfering with ANN7 and The New Age reporters and inciting violence.

The urgent court interdict brought against the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was granted on Tuesday that the Gupta-owned ANN7 (DStv 405) TV news channel and The New Age newspaper brought against the political party.

Oakbay Investments - a shareholder in the Gupta-owned media and other companies - as well as Oakbay Investments CEO Nazeem Howa along with other plaintiffs asked the North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday for the court order to force the EFF not to commit violence against ANN7 or the newspaper, its assets like property, and staff.

The Guptas' court interdict granted by judge Johan Louw also asked the EFF not to interfere with the activities of ANN7 and The New Age reporters and journalists. The EFF opposed the application.

The court interdict prevents the EFF from threatening ANN7 and The New Age reporters, and from making threats of violence against the Gupta brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh.

According to the court interdict granted, the EFF is barred from interfering with the activities of ANN7 or The New Age reporters and can't bar these reporters from attending any public political EFF events.

The EFF is also not allowed to incite violence against the Guptas, their 4 500 employees through public statements, press releases or public speeches, is not allowed to damage Gupta-owned property and isn't allowed to incite followed to enter the premises of Gupta-owned properties illegally.

The EFF is barred from intimidating the Guptas and their employees, or to cause these employees to fear for their lives or safety, or to limit their reasonable freedom of movement and trade.

EFF leader Julius Malema last week went on a scathing tirade against ANN7 and The New Age, banning reporters and journalists from ANN7 and The New Age from attending any EFF events or press conferences and using threatening language saying their safety can't be guaranteed.

It saw the abrupt cut of a televised broadcast from the EFF press conference as the ANN7 crew killed the feed, packed up and left.

Julius Malema said the EFF wants the influential Guptas with strong ties to president Jacob Zuma, to leave the Gauteng province and South Africa.

"We don't want to see The New Age and ANN7. It's propaganda machinery," said Julius Malema.