News24 reports that on Monday the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) released the findings of its year-long investigation into allegations of editorial interference.
The findings implicate a number of high-ranking staff members and government officials and, as such, the SABC says it will take disciplinary action against those who have been implicated. Joe Thloloe, veteran journalist and former chairperson of the Press Council of SA chaired the commission of inquiry that looked into the matter. The commission found that the public broadcaster "suffered from the capricious use of authority and power to terrorise staff and to deflect the corporation from its mandate and editorial policies". While it found no evidence of a direct connection with ANC headquarters Luthuli House, a "spectre of the ANC hovered over the newsroom", the report indicated. From 2012 to 2017, SABC executives "took instructions from people with no authority in the newsroom," including SABC board member Ellen Tshabalala and former Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi. In this regard, the executives failed to carry out their duties stipulated in the editorial policies. As such, staff morale was detrimentally affected and the organisation was "crippled by pain, anger and fear". There are seven recommendations in the report, including a review of former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng's instructions to the HR department to institute disciplinary hearings against employees, and dismiss or promote others.
- Read the full original of the above report by Azarrah Karrim at News24
- Read too, Probe finds SABC was 'crippled by pain, anger and fear', at TimesLIVE
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