Immoral Koos Bekker is acting like Jacob Zuma - Cosatu

Koos Bekker Picture: Leon Lestrade.

Koos Bekker Picture: Leon Lestrade.

Published Feb 20, 2018

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CAPE TOWN - The Congress of the South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has warned Naspers chairman Koos Bekker over his alleged "immoral conduct" in the broadcasting space over the last few years. 

A letter issued by Tony Ehrenreich, Cosatu's Western Cape provincial secretary, said, "We are entering a new phase in South Africa inspired by our President Ramaphosa. We are going to root out all unethical leaders who use their positions to deprive our people of their just national interest".

Cosatu points out that Naspers had secured the rights of the national rugby team broadcast and denied the public reasonable access to it. 

Late in 2017, Kaizer Kganyago told Business Report that the public broadcaster SABC couldn't afford to purchase all sport broadcasting rights considering its financial state.

"You have interfered in the migrating to digital and are trying to advance your company interest in the transition," Cosatu's letter read.

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This federation also feels that Bekker has acted unethically in the following instances:

- You have raised the number of re runs on DSTV without consultation with viewers.

- You have acted as the censuring agent of South Africans deciding what news we can and cannot watch.

- You intend raising the DSTV subscription, when the service is deteriorating.

- You advantage Afrikaans and Stellenbosch culture ahead of other cultures in South Africa in the broadcasting.

- You have withdrawn the rights of workers at Paarl media to discounted DSTV rates unilaterally and unfairly".

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Bekker's conduct has been likened by Cosatu to that of the ousted president Jacob Zuma, "who put his personal canal interest ahead of the interest of all South Africans".  

The trade union federation has threatened to stop Bekker's immoral treatment the same way South Africans stopped Zuma's arrogance.

Cosatu has been at the forefront on efforts to take the national sport away from SuperSport, arguing that SA's poor community is deprived access to national sport matches.

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-BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE

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