Johannesburg - SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng has defended his decision banning the public broadcaster from broadcasting the destruction of public property during protests, as “responsible”.
He accused certain political parties of “celebrating” the burning of property instead of condemning the acts.
“I am actually shocked because some political parties are actually celebrating, for me they are not leaders. There is no leader who can celebrate when people are destroying property, when people are refusing teachers from teaching then we can’t celebrate that,” he said.
Mostoeneng was addressing the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union’s (Sadtu) NEC meeting on Wednesday, and urged delegates not to support pubic destruction as it could be detrimental for them as teachers.
“My concern is that one day, you as teachers if you allow what’s happening and you don’t condemn then one day they will burn you. We can’t celebrate that when people are burning schools and stopping others from attending, we can’t do that,” Mostoeneng told Sadtu delegates.
Angry residents of the Vhuwani community in Limpopo razed at least 20 schools to the ground last month in violent protests against municipal re-demarcation. Soon after Motsoeneng announced his unilateral decision not to broadcast violent protests.
The decision has been condemned by opposition parties, civil society and media freedom advocates as a form of self-censorship. Critics have also argued it was aimed at protecting the ANC ahead municipal elections in August, when the ruling party is expected to suffer significant losses because of rising dissatisfaction with its time in office.
Ironically, union federation Cosatu, to which Sadtu is affiliated, have condemned Motsoeneng's diktat, and called the decision not to show community violence “patronising” to South Africans.
Labour Bureau