The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Thursday joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) in condemning the ”lenient” action taken against South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) head of news Snuki Zikalala over the controversial blacklisting issue.
”These are extremely serious charges, amounting to a conscious policy of political censorship and bias,” Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said.
”Yet the SABC has done little more than give the man responsible a polite talking-to in the form of a ‘verbal warning’ not to repeat his offences. It implies that they do not consider political censorship a serious matter,” Craven said.
On Wednesday, Deputy Communications Minister Radhakrishna Padayachie said that the SABC board gave Zikalala a verbal warning and warned him of stronger action if blacklisting of any political commentators re-occurred.
Last year, on Zikalala’s orders, the SABC blacklisted independent political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi, the author of a book on President Thabo Mbeki, William Gumede, and Business Day political journalists Vukani Mde and Karima Brown.
Craven said the SABC board’s decision further increased Cosatu’s concerns over the crisis within the public broadcaster.
”There is clear evidence that it is being manipulated to promote one particular point of view and to smother any expression of contrary opinions.”
SACP spokesperson Malesela Maleka said the SABC board should have acted more strongly against Zikalala.
Maleka said his party had been ”shocked” to learn that Zikalala only received ”a slap on the wrist for his shocking actions”.
Maleka said: ”The question of censorship is indeed a very, very serious matter. We did not wage the struggle for the liberation of this country and the transformation of the public broadcaster only to return to some of the worst practices of the SABC under the apartheid regime.” — Sapa