Ameen Akhalwaya. Ivan Fynn. Govin Reddy. Joe Thloloe. Mathatha Tsedu. Barney Mthombothi. Pippa Green. Reg Rumney. Vuyo Mvoko. Charles Leonard. Sandile Dikeni. Hein Marais. Karima Brown.
This is a small sampling of the fine journalists who have quit the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Many have left for greener pastures. But many have quit in disgust after becoming entangled in the labyrinthine (some might say Machiavellian) politics of the public broadcaster.
The infamous blacklist now occupies the public mind, but let us not forget that this is only the latest in a series of incidents. The departures of Thloloe, Mthombothi, Green and Jimi Matthews (redeployed) were also fraught with -allegations that they were being forced out for being open-minded.
How much worse must it get before bright minds realise the problem is institutional and grave? Zwelakhe Sisulu’s blacklist probe cannot solve the problem because it is addressing a single episode in the epic soapie that is the SABC.
It is rather time to rewrite the script.
The way forward is to be found in the success of excellent programmes such as Special Assignment, and a few others sprinkled across the radio and television landscape.
Why do pockets of journalistic excellence survive in a sea of mediocrity? Because the producers enjoy relative autonomy: they choose their own topics, find their own guests and are allowed (or they were, until recently) to get on with the job. The good programmes are run by journalists, not aspiring government spokesmen or opposition MPs.
The latest crisis is about how AM Live and the After Eight Debate on SAfm became victims of their own success. These programmes have won a large and influential listenership on their own merits. Power listens precisely because these programmes are fair and allow a diversity of views.
Instead of welcoming this, news managers and the board have stuck their noses where they don’t belong.
The rot has to stop. News managers must be responsible only for good, fair and robust journalism. Full stop. Their job is not to keep the board or politicians of any stripe happy.
The problem rests not only with newsroom management, but with interference by the board. The members of the board’s news committee, which includes Christine Qunta and Thami Mazwai, are not known for their love of feisty, fearless and professional journalism. When their terms are up, other South Africans should replace them. Those who support public broadcasting should demand a board that is committed to letting journalism thrive, not spoon-feeding “appropriate” information to the public.
Good journalism must be allowed to take centre stage at the SABC. If that happens, the public broadcaster will attract talent and repel dross.