*This article has been updated
Johannesburg - Another three SABC journalists will know where their future lies with the public broadcaster after they were charged with misconduct on Thursday.
Independent Media understands that Special Assignment executive producer Busisiwe Ntuli, SAfm Current Affairs executive producer Krivani Pillay and senior investigative journalist Jacques Steenkamp were charged with “liaising with the media” without authorisation from their bosses.
This after the trio wrote a letter to the SABC chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, lashing out at censorship in the corporation, which had resulted in their newsroom becoming a “source of derision, despair and criticism from the people who we are fundamentally accountable to, the public at large”.
One of the journalists, who did not wish to be named for fear of victimisation, told Independent Media: “We have not been suspended. We are still at work, but we have been charged with allegedly liaising with the media including The Star, The Citizen, and other newspapers, without permission.”
The journalist said the disciplinary committee (DC) would hear the matter on Friday morning. “The onus is on them (SABC) to prove beyond reasonable doubt that indeed with liaised with the media on the issues raised.”
Motsoeneng’s “henchman” who lives in the Free State “is the chairman of the DC and he said he will come to chair the hearing. To us, that’s a concern already. Look, eight people have been charged in the SABC”.
Besides Ntuli, Steenkamp and Pillay, the other editorial staff who are set to appear before the DC on Friday include political journalist Lukhanyo Calata, economics editor Thandeka Gqubule, executive editor at Radio Sonder Grense Foeta Krige, and senior journalist Suna Venter. “I don’t know who the eighth person is,” the journalist said.
Gqubule, Krige and Venter were suspended recently after defying Motsoeneng’s orders not to cover an anti-censorship protest outside the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park.
Repeated attempts to get comment from SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago proved fruitless and he did not reply to a text message seeking comment.
@luyolomkentane
The Star