The SABC rejected a request from the DA to air a packaged video of their party Leader Mmusi Maimane speaking on land expropriation without compensation.
This comes after the SABC interrupted normal programming to air the recording of ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa in party regalia announcing their resolution on land expropriation without compensation.
Democratic Alliance has since sent a letter to SABC news group executive Ms. Phathiswa Magopeni requesting their own video of party Leader speaking on the similar topic be aired.
The Democratic alliance gave the Public broadcaster until 8 August midnight to air the video.
According to DA’s Ms. Van Damme, the request is not about the content of the broadcast but the principle that the public broadcaster must uphold.
In her reply, Ms. Magopeni told the party that the public broadcaster will not be airing DA Leader Mmusi Maimane’s statement on the economy and land expropriation without compensation.
She further stated that since the DA had reported the matter to the BCCSA its obligations in terms of s13(1) are rendered moot.
DA shadow minister of communication Ms. Phumzile van Damme says ” This is disingenuous. The DA reporting the matter to the BCCSA, did not in any way absolve the SABC from fulfilling its obligation in terms of the Code of Conduct.
It had the opportunity to act in good faith, and resolve the matter by giving the DA, and indeed, other political parties represented in Parliament, the opportunity to state its views like it did for the President of the ANC.
Instead, it has chosen the Hlaudi Motsoeneng-esque route of engaging in litigation at the BCCSA, an Independent Judicial Tribunal, no doubt spending money on lawyers that it could have otherwise used to pay the producers it owes money”.
Subsequently, the DA has written its response, to the BCCSA and requested that it make a ruling.
“We trust that the BCCSA will rule in a manner that will set a precedent for broadcasters that willingly disobey its Code of Conduct”.
This was the new SABC management and board’s first opportunity to truly display its independence, and it has failed miserably and balked to Luthuli House by denying opposition parties airtime as is required by s31(1) of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) Code of Conduct”. Says Phumzile van Damme
BY: STEVE LEFOPHANA
