Johannesburg - The gloves are off in the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Thursday as four axed SABC journalists fight for reinstatement.
Krivani Pillay, Jacques Steenkamp, Foeta Krige and Suna Venter were the first batch of senior journalists to be fired by the SABC this week for alleged insubordination.
Head of trade union Solidarity’s labour court division, Anton van der Bijl representing the four, said his clients would ask for their dismissals and suspensions to be set aside.
On Wednesday, their boss, SABC chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, was accused of running the public broadcaster like a spaza shop.
The SACP, at a protest outside the SABC in Sea Point, Cape Town, on Wednesday, said Motsoeneng had been “irrationally and illogically” appointed.
The party’s deputy general secretary, Solly Mapaila, said the party was “ gatvol” of Motsoeneng and had called on the ANC, the Presidency and Parliament to act against him and the SABC board, which, it claimed, was colluding with management at the broadcaster.
The war of words comes after the axing of several senior journalists at the SABC.
The ANC has condemned the SABC for its unilateral decision not to broadcast visuals of violent protests. It accused the broadcaster of censorship.
Mapaila said: “What is lacking from the ANC leadership is an active solidarity with the workers who have been dismissed for opposing a draconian law.”
He said the SACP was inviting the ANC “to protest with us and match their fury with practice”.
Mapaila said the SACP was also calling for the removal of the SABC board and for Motsoeneng to step down.
“We have to make sure (the SABC) remains a public institution and not a spaza shop.
“We are here to protest against the SABC’s decision to dismiss workers who have refused to implement a censorship programme which is practically against their profession. But we are also here to reaffirm our commitment that the SABC can never sanction freedom of expression or access to information which is encapsulated in our Bill of Rights and in our constitution.
“It is an act against the constitution and we feel the (SABC) board, acting in collusion with SABC management, should be reviewed. The president and Parliament must review their powers and reappoint a new board.”
On Wednesday, ANC secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, was reported to have said the ruling party did not support the dismissals of the journalists.
Meanwhile, Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi, has been asked to appear before the National Assembly committee on communications on August 23 to explain the drama that has beset the national broadcaster.