BBC apologies to Transnet boss

The UK government wants the BBC to halt commercial shows. Picture: Reuters.

The UK government wants the BBC to halt commercial shows. Picture: Reuters.

Published Mar 29, 2013

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Johannesburg - The BBC has apologised to Transnet's chief harbour master Rufus Lekala after mistakenly broadcasting his name as “Gay Marriage” during an interview, Transnet said on Friday.

Spokeswoman Lunga Ngcobo said they had accepted the apology.

“Yes, they have apologised and we accept the apology... It was a mistake and we are trying not to make a big deal out of it,” said Ngcobo.

The UK Guardian online reported that the BBC said the incident was a technical error.

The interview, which was about the Fifth Brics Summit, was reportedly broadcast globally to more than 71 million viewers on Tuesday.

The Sowetan newspaper reported that Lekala initially laughed off the error.

Viewers who saw it took pictures of the screen strap and circulated them on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

Transnet then demanded an explanation from the BBC.

International news headlines have in the last few days been dominated by debates on gay marriage in the United States.

It was believed the graphic for that story was erroneously paired with Lekala's interview. - Sapa

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