Johannesburg - ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte has slammed threats by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) to liquidate Sekunjalo Independent Media (SIM).
Duarte on Thursday expressed concerns over the state-owned asset management company’s targeting of the media group, after the PIC indicated on Tuesday it would file a liquidation application. She said although the threats were absurd, they were equally concerning.
“The Independent Media brand has existed for decades and decades, under different ownership. Is it a problem now that it is owned by the indigenous people of South Africa? As the ANC, we are applying our minds to what the cause of this really is but I can tell you that this makes no sense,” Duarte said.
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African People’s Convention (APC) leader and former standing committee on public accounts chairperson Themba Godi has since announced that he would host a public dialogue in Soweto on Sunday to galvanise support for the protection of journalists, Independent Media and its chairperson Dr Iqbal Survé.
On Wednesday, the Pan Africanist Party of Azania called on South Africans, and in particular the ANC, to not allow the “onslaught” on the publishing company to continue Pan Africanist Party of Azania held a round-table discussion to offer support to Independent Media staff and Survé, highlighting that anti-transformation forces have targeted the media organisation because of its revelations on the SA Revenue Service (Sars) rogue unit and other hidden acts of some ANC leaders.
“Of course they want to shut down Independent Media. It’s the only media black people have left. It will be a tragedy if Independent Media can no longer publish the stories they are publishing. This is an assault on media and black people in general,” the party said.
