The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) wants the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the African National Congress to clarify whether a senior officer of the public broadcaster made political statements at an off-the-record press briefing by the ruling party.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the trade-union federation wants to know whether the unnamed official made political statements attacking Cosatu in general and the Cosatu general secretary in particular, calling on the ANC to ”isolate and neutralise” him.
The allegation was made in a column by Jon Qwelane in this weekend’s Sunday Sun.
”We have since written to the ANC secretary general to ask if the ANC had authorised the briefing and, if not, if any action would be taken against those responsible,” Vavi said at a press briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday.
”We have also written to Dali Mpofu, head of the SABC, to demand that the SABC disassociate itself from the comments attributed to the SABC official, and that if indeed any person from the SABC made those comments, that she or he resign his or her position from the public broadcaster.
”We are awaiting a response on both letters. The central executive committee will take this matter to the highest possible levels. No public broadcaster should be allowed to play a partisan role and form part of factions in our movement,” Vavi warned, adding no one would have any peace until the matter was clarified.
”If this is true, he must go, for the sake of all of us. This is no small matter.”
Vavi refused to confirm media speculation that the official was SABC head of news Snuki Zikalala.
The SABC’s Mpofu said he had received the letter and had spoken to Vavi about the allegations.
”You can say I am investigating,” Mpofu said. ”There’ll be a formal response as soon as it [the investigation] is finalised.” — Sapa