South Africa’s Independent Communications Authority (Icasa) has ruled on Monday that the public broadcaster, SABC, should withdraw its ban on airing violent protests.
The telecommunication regulation body said their decision was binding and can be subject to a review by SABC.
“In the next seven days we expect SABC to
say to us they haven’t complied to the ruling, that is that they would
have withdrawn the decision it has taken regarding the broadcasting the
burning of public property,” the Acting Chairperson of Icasa, Reuben
Mohlaloga said at a briefing.
SABC has however responded saying it will challenge the ruling in court.
The ban, which was deemed as censorship by workers of the company,
civil society and general public evoked series of demonstrations in the
country and also the hearing before Icasa.
The legal representative of SABC, Advocate
Bantubonke Regent Tokota SC, has said at the hearing that the
broadcaster had a responsibility to edit its reportage to protect
children from viewing dangerous behaviour they might imitate and to
discourage the public from engaging in violence.
In June, three senior journalists of the company were suspended for
“disagreeing with an instruction during a diary meeting not to cover a
campaign protest against censorship at the public broadcaster”.
A week after that, SABC’s Acting CEO, Jimi Matthews resigned for being “complicit in many decisions”.
“What is happening at the SABC is wrong and I can no longer be part of it,” he added.
Meanwhile, many South Africans are calling for the resignation of
the Chief Operating Officer of the company, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who is
blamed to be behind the policy.
Africanews
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