Johannesburg - South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) anchor Peter Ndoro is taking a break from presenting after mistakenly declaring President Cyril Ramaphosa dead during a news bulletin, the broadcaster said on Friday.
Ndoro came under scrutiny over an error made while presenting the 6pm news bulletin on Thursday, where he "killed off" Ramaphosa while announcing the death of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
Ndoro erroneously announced that Ramaphosa had died instead of announcing Tsvangirai's name.
This is the second time in recent months that Ndoro accidentally killed off a politician.
Earlier this year, he announced that Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi had died in an interview on the death of former Bophuthatswana leader Lucas Mangope.
The SABC in a statement said it noted with concern an on-air error made by Ndoro.
Peter Ndoro has killed Cyril Ramaphosa few months after killing Mangosuthu Buthelezi. pic.twitter.com/S9PwBpz8TN
— Azania Afrika (@SAYoungLion) February 16, 2018
"In as much as we acknowledge that this is a human error, we take this matter in a very serious light as it is not only embarrassing but could potentially affect those involved negatively.
"In the light of the event, news management has since engaged Ndoro and he indicated that he is fatigued and needed some time to rest. Management has agreed to his request and he will be taking a break from the show. Mr. Ndoro has apologised to the president’s office and his apology has been accepted.
The public broadcaster added that: "The SABC would like to ensure all its audiences that it remains fully committed to delivering news that is fair, balanced and accurate".