SABC 3 appeal application denied

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) on Tuesday denied an appeal by SABC 3 against a finding that it contravened the broadcasting code.

The BCCSA found that an appeal tribunal was “not likely to differ from the first judgement”, said spokesperson Shouneez Martin.

The matter concerned a broadcast on November 3 last year in which businessman Robert Gumede alleged that Mail & Guardian journalist Sam Sole took a bribe and that the newspaper had a racial bias.

The BCCSA found that Gumede’s allegations were given air time, but that the M&G’s response was given insufficient coverage.

The SABC was reprimanded for broadcasting an unbalanced report and was given until March 30 to broadcast a summary of the BCCSA judgement.

As this date had since passed, the BCCSA would have to set a new date for the correction statement, Martin said.—Sapa