Johannesburg – ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe has called on news channel eNCA to discipline journalist Karima Brown.
This after Brown’s comments on ANC NEC member and Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu’s replacement as minister.
Mthembu died last week from Covid-19 related complications.
Speaking on eNCA, Brown sparked anger when she spoke of Mthembu’s replacement just minutes after news of his death.
GCIS director-general Phumla Williams took to Twitter to rebuke Brown for insensitivity.
“Karima I plead with you. We are still coming to terms with the loss of Minister Mthembu and you think it’s okay to discuss his replacement?” Williams said.
Former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa tweeted: “Comrade Karima is just being herself. She’s never heard of: body is still warm, too soon, it’s not even done anywhere, replacing someone as they are being moved to the mortuary. If callous was a person.”
Speaking to Independent Media, Mabe said eNCA should make an example of Brown.
“I’m concerned that Karima Brown has gone too far. In every industry there are rules. I would think newsrooms have standards. Why is eNCA harbouring her? I’m writing a piece about the unfortunate incident on ANC-Today this coming Friday,” Mabe said.
No stranger to controversy, in 2019 an independent probe into allegations of censorship and editorial interference found that Brown, while a Talk Radio 702 presenter, was not balanced when she made allegations of a patronage network.
Brown had breached provisions of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission Code of South Africa, the report found.
The investigation and the eventual report, released by Primedia which owns 702 among other radio stations, was a result of a complaint of editorial interference and censorship laid by Brown against 702 station manager Thabisile Mbete.
According to the report, the complaint stemmed from a November 2018 show in which Brown made allegations about Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, former SABC board member Mathatha Tsedu, former SABC spokesperson Neo Momodu and veteran journalist Joe Thloloe.
The Star