Court: SABC must suspend protest footage ban

JOHANNESBURG -The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has confirmed to Eyewitness News, that the South African Broadcasting Corporations (SABC) has now formally said that it will abide by its order to rescind its decision to ban the broadcast of images of violent and destructive protests.

The HSF’s application was against the SABC, its board, COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and Communications Minister Faith Muthambi.

Icasa recently directed the SABC to withdraw its resolution to no longer broadcast footage of destruction of public property during protests.

In the order passed on Wednesday‚ the SABC was also required to exercise its editorial discretion in accordance with the Constitution and the Broadcasting Act.

SABC leaders have repeatedly denied claims that the protest policy amounts to censorship and said they would refuse to be told how to run the public broadcaster, but in court on Wednesday the corporation agreed to withdraw the controversial policy after reaching a settlement with the Helen Suzman Foundation. “Your employment with the SABC is thus terminated with immediate effect“, it reads.

Solidarity said on Monday that it wanted the suspensions of and disciplinary action against the SABC journalists set aside.

Civil society organisations have welcomed the court order.

Judge John Murphy sealed the deal this morning, which will be in effect until the Constitutional Court has ruled on the constitutionality of the SABC’s drive to censor the news. The public broadcaster was supposed to indicate by 5pm on Monday, whether it would oppose the court action, the trade union said. “The process started today, but this is an employer/employee issue,” Kganyago said.

The SABC has since indicated that it will challenge the ruling “even to the highest court”.

Some journalists were charged after sending a letter to Motsoeneng objecting to the direction the public broadcaster had taken. “The SABC did the opposite and dismissed them because, ironically, they had distanced themselves from an unlawful instruction”, Hermann said.

The journalists are part of the so-called SABC 8 who have been targeted by the public broadcaster for speaking out against censorship.