The SABC has laid a complaint with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) against ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte over a confrontation she had with its staff at the elections results centre early this month.
Duarte had taken issue with how the SABC covered the ANC ahead of the local government elections and had strong words for its staff at the centre.
“The SABC can confirm that it has indeed lodged a formal complaint to the IEC on Ms Jessie Duarte's treatment of its journalists,” SABC head of corporate affairs Gugu Ntuli said on Saturday.
The Sunday Times understands that the complaint was initiated by SABC editor-in-chief and head of news Phathiswa Magopeni after the confrontation.
This comes in a week in which Magopeni was charged with negligence and bringing the broadcaster into disrepute over the airing of an edition of the news programme Special Assignment that had been prohibited by a court.
The charges have raised suspicion that Magopeni's disciplinary action is linked to ANC complaints about the broadcaster's elections coverage of the party.
The Special Assignment episode dealt with anticompetitive conduct in the towing industry. It was scheduled to air on September 14 before being interdicted. Magopeni said she had nothing to do with the episode's airing.
She is expected to appear at a disciplinary hearing in early December.
Duarte reportedly confronted Magopeni at the IEC election centre in Pretoria about unhappiness in the ANC with how the SABC was covering the party.
Those close to Magopeni said this was in relation to some shows the SABC had broadcast ahead of the elections and some requests the ANC had made for interviews, which the SABC had rejected.
Mbalula denied that the ANC had anything to do with the charging of Magopeni
It is understood that Magopeni reported the incident to the SABC. Not long after, she was served with a letter of intention to charge her. The charges were formally served this week.
ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula on Thursday accused the SABC of running shows critical of service delivery at municipal level that had led to a low voter turnout and contributed to his party’s loss of three Gauteng metros. He singled out Magopeni for criticism.
Those questioning the charges against Magopeni told the Sunday Times the coincidence was suspicious and pointed to possible political pressure on the SABC board.
Mbalula denied that the ANC had anything to do with the charging of Magopeni. He said the ANC had not complained to the SABC about Magopeni with regard to the broadcaster's coverage of the party.
An ANC national executive committee (NEC) member, who did not want to be named, said the view in the governing party was that the SABC had adopted a negative attitude towards the ANC.
“Since she was appointed to that position there has been a remarkable shift in terms of the coverage patterns, particularly when it applies to the ANC and opposition,” the NEC member said.
“The public broadcaster at the moment is totally negative towards the ANC. When last have you seen the SABC covering a positive story about what government is doing? There is this anti-ANC frenzy in the media broadly; they are feeding into that frenzy.”
An ANC national executive committee (NEC) member, who did not want to be named, said the general view in the governing party was that the SABC had adopted a negative attitude towards the ANC
The Sunday Times has seen correspondence between Magopeni and SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe in which Magopeni said she had nothing to do with the Special Assignment episode being aired.
In the letter to Mxakwe, dated November 19, Magopeni said the episode had been stopped. It had been due to be shown on September 14.
She was shocked when it was aired on October 26 without her knowledge.
She said that someone had decided to air the episode as a repeat, but had failed to check if it had been shown before.
“News doesn’t resubmit content as it is already in the ... system from the premiere transmission. Journalists merely indicate the title of the episode, together with its code as assigned by schedulers. Therefore, no new and wrong material was submitted by news for the repeat episode,” she said in the letter.
“This was meant to be a repeat episode with a distinct title, not the interdicted programme with a different caption that never even made it to air in the first place. Surely a programme that never aired could not have been referred to as ‘a repeat’. ”
Magopeni told Mxakwe that it was an injustice to blame her.
“I do not know why you intend to take disciplinary action against me, as indicated in your letter, when I have never given any instruction to violate the court interdict, intentionally or not, by airing the episode or causing it to be aired.
“I also do not know how I have brought the SABC into disrepute when I have done no such thing. This is an aspect I would appreciate being given specific details on.”
She said there was a clear attempt to shield those responsible for the error and that the action against her had ulterior motives.
The SABC's Ntuli declined to comment.
Magopeni said she could not comment without authorisation.
Duarte referred questions to ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe, who did not respond.
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