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Anti-SABC censorship marchers heading to ANC HQ tomorrow

It’s the ANC’s turn to have protesters marching on its doors voicing concerns about the situation at the SABC.

Tomorrow, the SOS Coalition and Right2Know Campaign (R2K) will protest outside the ANC headquarters, Chief Albert Luthuli House in the Johannesburg at midday.

“After weeks of protests outside SABC offices across the country by media workers, various civil society organisations and political parties in response to censorship and the general decay at the public broadcaster, Hlaudi Motsoeneng remains the illegitimately appointed sitting COO of the SABC, and continues to persist with his reign of terror which has set a chilling effect of self-censorship in the organisation. Motsoeneng is not alone in this reign of terror and mismanagement of the SABC,” R2K said in a statement.

“He continues to be propped-up by a delinquent board and equally delinquent Minister of Communications who have demonstrated their utter contempt for basic media ethics such as the need for an independent national public broadcaster…in light of the failure of the Minister to heed the warnings of both the Chief Whip of the ANC Caucus in Parliament and the General Secretary of the governing party, it is become apparent that the protracted malaise in the SABC is a symptom of and proxy for the factional battles being fought within the ruling party,” it added.

R2K said that it would be naive for it and South Africans as a whole to ignore the role of Luthuli House and political interferences by different ANC factions in the current crisis.

“Muthambi, who is beholden to Zuma, has held the stability and independence of the SABC to ransom by illegally changing the Memorandum of Incorporation to make her the ultimate authority on the hiring and firing of senior executives at will and without question…Properly construed, there is a clear link between the editorial control of the SABC and the interests of the Zuma faction,” the group said.

“Motsoeneng should never have been made COO in the first place and it is imperative that he and his backers be stopped NOW! [sic],” R2K concluded calling on media workers and members of the public to join the protest tomorrow.

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