The SABC has not officially confirmed whether or not it will screen Unauthorised: Thabo Mbeki, the documentary on the president that it had pulled off its schedule 13 months ago for being ‘incurably defamatoryâ€.
Ben Cashdan of Broad Daylight Films, the film’s producers, said the SABC had confirmed receipt of the master copy but would not give a categorical answer as to whether the screening would proceed on SABC3 at the scheduled time of 9pm on Sunday. An announcement about the screening was still up on the SABC3 website on Thursday afternoon.
When pressed for comment Cashdan said he had received a note from the SABC stating that the film was being ‘editorially reviewedâ€, but he was unsure what conclusion to draw from that. Cashdan was only informed of the SABC’s intention to screen the film on Monday afternoon, although the public broadcaster had approved an edited version on April 11.
Conjecture has been rife about the SABC’s motives for deciding to screen the film at such short notice. A press statement released by the Freedom of Expression Institute on Wednesday cast further doubt on the broadcaster’s objectives. ‘We are also made to understand that the SABC decided to reschedule the programme after the producers wrote to the SABC to cancel the contract, and planned to take the documentary elsewhere and show it at film festivals,†read the statement.
‘This train of events suggests that the SABC’s decision was motivated by pressure to respond to these developments, rather than a commitment to make good on the original undertaking to seek an accommodation with the producers.â€
The SABC had not responded to written questions from the Mail & Guardian at the time of going to press.