Minister chose not to meddle in SABC department
The Communications Ministry has taken a hands-off approach to the SABC because it has full confidence in the board, it said yesterday. A BDlive report says the department was responding to reports over recent developments at the public broadcaster, saying Communications Minister Faith Muthambi ‘chose not to meddle’ in its internal matters.
New editorial decisions by the public broadcaster included banning the airing of violent protests – a decision subsequently overturned in court – and its decision to stop the practice of reading newspaper headlines on air. Last month, the broadcaster fired a group of eight journalists after they publicly opposed the banning of showing violent protests. Following a brief court battle, the SABC announced publicly that all but one of the journalists would be reinstated. ‘Our view is that these are in fact operational issues which need to be resolved by the board as the accounting authority for the corporation,’ said the department.
‘Failure to observe this key constitutional and policy provision would in fact render the Ministry as interfering with the duties of the board and management of the public broadcaster.’ Muthambi is due to brief Parliament’s Communications Committee today on the SABC’s editorial policy, recent changes to it and implementation of Icasa’s order that it withdraw a decision to ban footage of violent protests. She will also brief the committee on the court cases the SABC was involved in and the financial effect they have had on the broadcaster.
Muthambi has been accused of trying to distance herself from the chaos at the SABC ahead of today’s briefing. A Business Day report notes the accusation was made by DA MP and communications spokesperson Phumzile van Damme, who is quoted as saying: ‘Things are bad at the SABC and Muthambi has been directly involved ... she has openly defended Motsoeneng. We will be raising all the issues during the meeting.’
Van Damme said one parliamentary committee meeting on the SABC was not enough and that a full-scale parliamentary inquiry would be required. Media Monitoring Africa director William Bird said that the decision to interfere or not at the SABC seemed to be more a matter of convenience for the Minister. ‘Currently, as the department has displayed tacit support for the actions of SABC management, it now seems to be an excuse to be hands off. Yet we know from numerous previous instances the Minister has interfered directly.’
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