The three proposed 24-hour adult channels from Top TV, showing pornographic films, will exploit and demean women and girls, trade union federation Cosatu said on Wednesday.
“Cosatu is totally opposed to such channels, which we believe will reinforce sexist attitudes and encourage the abuse of women, which is already a massive problem,” spokesman Patrick Craven said.
In a letter to Collin Matjila, the CEO of Kopano ke Matla Investment Company, a Top TV shareholder, Cosatu demands Top TV scrap these channels, or that Kopano not invest further in the company.
“Such programmes will contribute to a lowering of moral standards in the country and further erode the revolutionary morality of our struggle movement.”
Craven said in the letter that the union federation could not be seen to be condoning and funding these pornographic channels as Kopano ke Matla Investment Company managed Cosatu's investments.
“So, it can be seen as Cosatu's money used to invest in Top TV, therefore we call on the scrapping of these three channels,” he said.
On Monday, the Johannesburg High Court ruled Top TV may not broadcast pornography without the permission of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa).
The pay channel applied to Icasa in September for permission to flight three porn channels, but decided to go ahead without Icasa's decision when it had received no response after two months.
Icasa made an urgent application to the high court early in January to halt the move until the end of the month.
Public hearings were now being held and Icasa would consider the submissions made before making a decision on January 31. - Sapa