Eight senior journalists suspended from the SABC over the last few months have painted a dim picture of what it’s like to work under COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Thandeka Gqubule Foeta Krige, Suna Venter, Busisiwe Ntuli, Krivani Pillay, Jacques Steenkamp, Lukhanyo Calata and Vuyo Mvoko, who are now known as the SABC 8, were all suspended over the course of last and this month.

The eight have taken their fight to the Constitutional Court and have submitted an affidavit requesting a court application over their suspensions.

In the affidavit, written by Gqubule, the applicants state they want to be granted direct access to the ConCourt, have the ban on footage depicting the destruction of public property and their suspensions to be declared unconstitutional and unlawful, among other things.

The SABC 8 describe the events of the past few weeks, including their disciplinary hearings, as “simply intolerable” and say their rights and the public’s right to freedom of expression have been violated.

The affidavit further goes on to quote the words of Motsoeneng and former CEO, Jimi Matthews when they told Krige and Pillay in a meeting days after the announcement of protest footage ban, that complete compliance with it was required of them and any defiance was unwelcome.

Motsoeneng also said the following at the same meeting:

Later, on 6th and 7th June during an Elections Workshop in Magaliesburg attended by Krige, Mvoko and Pillay, Motsoeneng made an alarming declaration on how reporters should cover political stories:

Gqubule describes the climate in the SABC newsroom as an engagement in the “full scale operation to capture and control…of current affairs and news information in South Africa”.

Gqubule said that despite the numerous calls for an end to censorship and the reinstatement of the suspended eight, as well as the ruling by Icasa that the SABC lift its ban, the public broadcaster and its board remains defiant.

“The case while unusual is critical for the future of not only the SABC but will impact media freedom in South Africa more broadly,” Media Monitoring Africa, the fourth respondent listed in the affidavit, said in a statement.

The ConCourt is yet to give any word on whether the application will be granted or not.

[Source – Media Monitoring Africa]