Note: Links to court documentation are carried at the bottom of this article.
Johannesburg - The war between e.tv CEO Marcel Golding and the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (Sactwu) has intensified.
Sactwu secretary general Andre Kriel is expected to meet Golding on Sunday to tell him that the union has lost confidence in him and would vote against his re-election at an HCI annual general meeting scheduled for next week.
On Saturday, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, a former Sactwu secretary general for years, strongly rejected Golding’s allegations that his actions constituted a threat to the TV station’s editorial independence.
Patel said he had met with representatives of various media houses, including Golding, and presented a detailed report on government's infrastructure plan. Golding noted that the plan contained many elements that e.tv may be interested in covering.
“These included infrastructure launches and stories about the impact of completed infrastructure on communities and the lives of ordinary South Africans. The stories included a focus on the people who work on the projects, supply components, the impact on surrounding communities and other beneficiaries, including youth, small business owners and local producers.
“In this context, we liaised with various e.tv representatives – as we did with a number of other media houses – on what we believed to be interesting and newsworthy stories, including the opening of power stations, green energy projects and the opening of new dams.”
Patel said it was government’s duty to ensure that the public was made aware of the projects.
“We interact with the media in an open and ethical manner to ensure they are better equipped to keep the public informed. The media as a whole covered progress with the infrastructure programme extensively and government further utilised billboards, advertising and media partnerships to communicate with South Africans.
“Aside from this clarification, I decline to be drawn into the dispute within HCI, which involves individuals with whom I have worked in the past,” he said.
Patel’s response was directed at Golding’s assertion, in court papers, that the public’s right to independent TV news was under threat. Golding is fighting attempts to get rid of him and has now approached the Labour Court in Cape Town for assistance. The matter will be heard tomorrow.
Golding has accused one of e.tv’s main shareholders, Sactwu, of trying to slant the news agenda.
Golding pits himself in the corner of media freedom together with his wife Bronwyn Keene-Young. She is a senior executive in one of four companies linked to e.tv. In court papers he names those pushing the Sactwu agenda as:
* Johnny Copelyn – A former trade unionist who served in South Africa’s first democratic parliament. He was one of the founders of e.tv.
* Yunus Shaik, who represents Sactwu.
Golding said in his founding affidavit: “I vehemently opposed any interference with the independence and integrity of editorial content and this tension is what led to the fracture.”
According to Golding, e.tv came under pressure in the run up to the national elections in May this year as Sactwu tried to exert its influence on what was reported.
However, there is no indication that this was sanctioned by government or the ruling ANC.
The pressure included:
* Shaik asking that supplied visuals of President Jacob Zuma opening at dam be used
* Shaik suggesting it be used as the first story in the evening news bulletin
* Shaik making a direct call to the MD of the News Channel, Patrick Conroy, to motivate for coverage.
Shaik on Saturday rejected the allegations. saying the suspension of Golding had nothing to do with media freedom. He said Golding was using the issue of editorial independence to mask his misconduct. “I state with emphasis that we have over the past 15 years steadfastly promoted and defended editorial independence,” he said. Shaik said that if Golding feels he is not guilty of any wrongdoing he will have the chance to clear his name at a disciplinary hearing expected to take place tomorrow.
“He has chosen, intentionally and for the purposes of distracting attention from the seriousness of the complaints of gross misconduct to make sensational remarks in a public forum to use as a defence entirely indefensible gross misconduct,” said Shaik in an affidavit submitted before the labour court in Cape Town on Friday.
According to Golding the dam footage was received from Patel.
Golding said he and Keene-Young viewed Shaik’s behaviour as “inappropriate” and asked him “never to make this kind of request directly to our managers”.
Shortly after this incident Copelyn pushed for Keene-Young to be sacked.
Other incidents include:
* Prior to the elections Patel (through Shaik) wanted e.tv to play a clip intended to portray opposition parties in a negative light during an election debate at the University of Witwatersrand;
* Kriel insisting that e.tv cover a lecture Patel was due to deliver;
* Shaik trying to censor a story on gambling that was featured on the programme, Maggs on Media. One of e.tv’s sister companies is Tsogo Sun and Shaik was keen to ensure visuals of Tsogo Sun featured.
Golding said because the relationship with his colleagues had deteriorated he had planned to leave. But he said: “These incidents of interference in news content were the last straw.”
He feared if he left e.tv Shaik would in all likelihood take over.
Golding is now facing a disciplinary hearing because he bought shares worth R24 million in Ellies, a company that is under business rescue. Its parent company African Bank had to be bailed out by the Reserve Bank.
Golding admits he got the timing wrong but believes it is a smoke screen to get him out.
Sunday Independent