Johannesburg – The court application brought by dismissed SABC journalists showed the amount of suppression faced by those who question decisions at the public broadcaster, the Labour Court in Johannesburg heard on Friday.
“This case is about an extraordinary and cynical attempt to prevent journalists from expressing disagreements with management,” said advocate Steven Budlender, who is appearing for the four senior reporters fired from the broadcaster.
The four – Foeta Krige, Suna Venter, Krivani Pillay and Jacques Steenkamp – are among eight journalists who have been sacked by the SABC for questioning recent editorial decisions widely regarded as censorship. They are being represented by the Solidarity trade union and have filed an urgent application to have their dismissals deemed unlawful and set aside by the Labour Court.
The group, which also counts Busisiwe Ntuli, Thandeka Gqubule and Lukhanyo Calata, were sent termination letters by the public broadcaster on Monday. Mvoko’s contract would not be extended by the SABC because he publicly disagreed with a ban on showing footage of violent protests, which management this week agreed to revoke after it was challenged in court by the Helen Suzman Foundation.
Budlender said the series of events from May, when the decision not to show footage of destruction of property during protests was taken, showed how the SABC “blocked internal and external debate on the controversial decision.”
He said the policy was met with widespread condemnation, including from the governing ANC. Five days after the policy was implemented, chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeng called Krige and Pillay into a meeting.
“During (the meeting) Mr Motsoeneng told them if people do not adhere to rules, they would get rid of them. He told them: ‘You cannot have people going against management.’”
The SABC’s former chief executive officer, Jimi Matthews, who has since resigned, is said to have told the reporters “to go if they won’t abide”, Budlender added.
“It is cold outside, if you do not like it here, you can go… you have to choices, it is either the door or the window,” Matthews reportedly said.
Budlender said newly appointed head of news Simon Tebele announcced during a meeting on June 20, that a protest against the SABC taking place outside the Auckland Park premises by the Right2Know campaign would not be covered in news bulletins.
Economics editor Gqubule voiced her disagreement with Tebele over the Right2Know protest. She was subsequently suspended along with Krige and Pillay, said Budlender.
The matter continues.
African News Agency