The South African Broadcasting Authority (SABC) is once again embroiled in a scandal over its pro-government at all costs policy. Readers will recall that last year SABC head of news and current affairs Snuki Zikalala was found to have contravened the broadcaster's own code of conduct for ordering that certain journalists and commentators not to be used because of their political views. One such journalist, Paula Slier, was blacklisted because Zikalala believed that ‘from the movement where I come from we support PLO’ and she was ‘a white Jewish girl’ reporting on the Middle East. For this outrageous behavior, Zikalala got away with only a verbal warning.
Perhaps then, it’s not surprising that this policy of being the ANC’s propaganda arm has continued at the SABC. This week the SABC made news headlines when they tried to prevent the screening of a controversial unauthorized documentary on Thabo Mbeki. The film was originally produced for the SABC but given it purportedly unflattering portrayal of the president they refused to run it. The producers have thus sought to screening the film using alternative means.
It was scheduled to be shown around the country this week as part of the Mail and Guardian’s Critical Thinking symposium. Citing copyright, the SABC demanded that it be cancelled. A compromise was thankfully reached and a limited number of screenings were allowed to take place.
Freedom of Expression Institute director Jane Duncan, in response to the furore has charged that ‘the process around the documentary is an extremely sad indictment on the state of freedom of expression around the President, and in South Africa generally. It points to extreme fear of criticizing the President, and suggests that criticisms of the authoritarian nature of the Thabo Mbeki presidency are not without foundation.’
If this wasn’t bad enough, today another scandal has emerged at the SABC. Last night a ‘senior staff member at the SABC’ (I bet it’s Snuki) obtained an interdict from the Pretoria High Court preventing the Mail and Guardian from publishing the details of an explosive draft internal report into alleged abuses of power and intimidation at the national broadcaster.
Callers to Talk-Radio 702 this morning, who claimed to have read the report, said that it implicated SABC bosses in serious corruption.
Our government’s support for the unacceptable behavior of its cronies at the SABC is a serious threat to democracy in this country. I hope that South Africa’s love affair with totalitarian states like Belarus, Zimbabwe and Iran has not started to rub off on our government and diminished their commitments to human rights domestically.
Previously at IAS
Um though I do understand the setiment of annoyance with the SABC over the fact that they are refusing to show the documentary,
but none the less, is this latest incident, not actually about what they claim. Copyright.
If they own the product, why should someone else get the chance to show it. If the mail and guardian want to show a documentary on Mbeki, should they not have to pay for it.
So now the guys who made the documentary, and having been paid for having made it, (they must have or SABC would not hold copyright), are they not also trying to create controversy and make some more money, out of a job they have already been paid to do.
I work in the creative idustry, and copyright is a very important thing. It is the ownership of something. Before the agreement, to allow limited screening, surely all screening of the documentary is just another theft?
Posted by: jp | July 20, 2007 at 15:49
JP, completely agree that copyright is important. As far as I understand the producers cancelled their contract with the SABC when the documentary was not screened. I also believe that they did not receive any money from the SABC for their work.
Posted by: mike | July 22, 2007 at 16:13