Veteran SABC journalist John Perlman hosted his AM Live radio talk show for the last time on Friday. In the spirit of constructive debate and honest self-evaluation (two characteristics that have set AM Live apart from other SABC programs), Perlman asked listeners to phone in and critique his 9 years of current affairs talk show radio. It was for most of us (particularly Perlman) a heartrending performance.
Listeners from the most remote nooks and crannies of South Africa called in to thank Perlman for enriching their lives with informative political debates. As much as Perlman’s adversaries (in the SABC and ANC) had surely hoped, these callers were not ‘verkrampte’ Whites who revel in criticizing the new Black government at every turn. No, the vast majority of callers were Black South Africans, many with minimal English language skills. Because of this, Perlman’s final SABC broadcast demonstrated that ordinary South Africans no matter what race, religion or cultural background crave a political system that promotes transparency and accountability.
Yet this grassroots outpouring of support has been unable to prevent Perlman’s departure -- let alone bring SABC head of news Dr Snuki Zikalala to account for contravening the National Broadcaster’s own code of ethic by blacklisting certain journalists he deemed to be hostile to the ANC (and its comrades in the PLO). It would seem that those antidemocratic forces within the ruling establishment have in fact won the day.
In fact they have already begun to spin a false justification for Perlman’s ouster. In some quarters he has been fallaciously denounced as ‘an Apartheid apologist'. One ANC Youth League representative who called into the show scolded Perlman for being arrogant and disrespectful to elected black officials. I can not help but imagine how Dr Snuki Zikalala and his ilk must be gloating at their latest political victory.
The successful ouster of Perlman, one of the few critical voices left at the SABC, is a serious threat to South African democracy. It would seem our march towards the totalitarian is not limited to just our foreign policy.
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