Protest Against SABC for Apartheid-Style Censorship #Notinmyname

Dear Comrades, Friends and concerned South Africans,

Six days ago, SABC journalists were suspended for refusing to compromise their integrity by complying with Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s orders to distort the news through sunshine journalism and 70% good-news. Soon after, the Acting CEO and Head of News and Current Affairs, Jimmi Mathews, resigned from the SABC, citing the “corrosive atmosphere” that had taken hold inside of our national public broadcaster.

For a decade, now, the SABC has been in one crisis after another. This started in 2006 when the SABC received instructions from political elites to blacklist certain political commentators from our SABC airwaves. The problem continued with the financial decline of the SABC and Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s catapult to the top position of COO, in spite of lying about his qualifications and abusing his power to the detriment of fair and independent coverage of news, without fear or favour.

We are now all patently aware of the deliberate thought-control campaign being undertaken by Motsoeneng under the direction and protection of his political masters. We have watched as they violate basic constitutional and public broadcasting principles of information freedom, independent media and freedom of expression. We now have to reclaim our SABC, and demand the end of censorship. This is a seminal moment in the defence of our democracy. We approach local government elections, and while communities burn, Motsoeneng would have journalists report only sunshine and rainbows.

We say #NotInOurName!

We call on you all to support SABC workers, those suspended, and those who are still working under the tyranny of Motsoeneng’s rule by edict. We call on you to stand with us as we march from Auckland Park to Constitution Hill.

DETAILS

Assemble outside SABC Towers on Artillery Rd, Auckland Park, at 09:00 wearing all black.

• We will hold vigil for the suspended journalists facing their disciplinary hearings.
• We will march from SABC to Constitution Hill in silence.
• We will break the silence at Constitution Hill where we will be addressed by SABC workers and civil society partners.

Because this march is non-partisan, we request all participating to NOT wear any party-political regalia.

DEMANDS

1. We demand that the SABC’s illegally revised editorial policies be scrapped, and all journalists suspended under Motsoeneng’s edict be reinstated with immediate effect.
2. We demand  the immediate reversal of all downward editorial decisions premised on the unlawfully revised editorial policy.
3. We demand an SABC that is free of editorial, commercial, and political interference; and we demand it NOW!

#Notinmyname #SABCcensorship

CONTACTS:

+27 76 581 4287

Thandeka Gqubule

Suspended SABC journalist

+27 82 920 8669

Hannes du Buisson

Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (BEMAWU)

+27 83 743 3567

Tuwani Gumani

Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA)

+27 76 084 8077

Sekoetlane Phamodi

Save Our SABC Coalition

+27 82 887 1370

William Bird

Media Monitoring Africa

+27 74 783 2743

Sheniece Linderboom

Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI)

+27 83 297 3444

Micah Reddy

Right2KnowCampaign