Riyaz Patel
Former communications minister Faith Muthambi and ex-SABC board chairperson Ellen Tshabalala interfered in decision making in the public broadcaster’s newsrooms, an inquiry into editorial interference at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has found.
The probe was headed by executive director of the Press Council Joe Thloloe.
The report states that editorial executives took instructions from “people with no authority in the newsroom.”
“The evidence shows that from the year 2012 up until the year 2017, SABC executives took instructions from people with no authority in the newsroom, for example, members of the SABC board (Ellen Tshabalala) and the minister for communication (Faith Muthambi),” Thloloe said.
Thloloe said the SABC suffered from “capricious use of authority and power to terrorise staff to deflect the corporation from its mandate and its editorial policies.”
And although the inquiry found no “direct line” between the newsroom and the African National Congress (ANC) headquarters at Luthuli House, the ANC “hovered” over the newsroom, Thloloe said.
The veteran journalist further recommended that the public broadcaster conduct an audit of the appointment and promotions of senior news management.
“The executives thus failed to execute their duties in terms of the editorial policies. The commission further found that Nothando Maseko, Sebolelo Ditlhakanyane and Nyana Molete were pivotal to the execution of instructions from former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, former head of news Jimi Matthews and Matthews’ successor Simon Tebele. They succumbed because of threats of dismissal from their immediate superiors.”
“The Inquiry found an organisation crippled by pain, anger and fear and by frustration, anxiety and apathy, inattentiveness, detachment and helplessness.
Thloloe recommended the establishment of an editorial committee to uphold editorial policies and to be chaired by the head of news, and which would report to the group CEO.
The committee would be the highest point of referral by editorial line managers and would uphold the SABC editorial policies and ethical standards, Thloloe said.
