SABC COO ignores ICASA ruling on censorship
SABC boss - “I don't focus on what people say but on what I need to do."
NEWCASTLE – When the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) ordered SABC Chief Operations Officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng to withdraw his controversial decision to not show violent protests, resistance is what they received.
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The SABC was labeled as unconstitutional by ICASA on July 11, following a complaint by the Media Monitoring Project Benefit Trust, Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, and Freedom of Expression.
The Independent Communications Authority further instructed SABC board chairperson to confirm whether the stance taken by the public broadcaster had been reversed within 7 days of the order to withdraw.
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An announcement by the Acting Chairperson of ICASA, Councillor Rubben Mohlaloga said: “Indeed, the SABC has a number of obligations in terms of the Broadcasting Act and its licences. The Broadcasting Act imposes on the SABC an obligation to provide coverage of “significant news and public affairs programming which meets the highest standards of journalism, as well as fair and unbiased coverage, impartiality, balance and independence from government, commercial and other interests. This obligation is also contained in the licence conditions of the SABC.”
Also sated in the ruling by ICASA:
“The public would be severely stilted in making real and informed choices about the governance of our democracy.”
However, only a day later, the SABCs, Motsoeneng has publicly told ICASA that the public broadcaster will not be dictated to, not even by the very body which created it.
“I don’t focus on what people say but on what I need to do. The protests are just a hullabaloo. No one will dictate to us; we know what we’re doing.”
The SABC has undertaken to fight the ruling by ICASA.
