The SABC has rubbished reports it has banned Babes Wodumo’s song Mercedes‚ insisting that songs are either rejected or accepted.
“The term banning was used during Apartheid and the SABC has not banned any song since 1994‚” said spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
Enca reported MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Weziwe Thusi‚ released a statement welcoming the banning of Mercedes by the public broadcaster.
“We live in difficult times where our children are heavily involved in substance abuse and we cannot afford to have songs that can be mistaken as promoting drug abuse. Just this year two children lost their lives to drugs following a house party in KwaMashu. We welcome this bold and progressive step by SABC management‚” Thusi is quoted as saying.
But the SABC maintains it doesn’t ban any song and all songs submitted go through a process of either being playlisted or are rejected.
“There are various procedures which determine if a song is aired. If a song is seen to incite violence‚ it won’t be played. That doesn’t amount to banning. Music gets rejected all the time‚” said Kganyago.
At the same time‚ Kganyago wasn’t able to say whether or not the song had been rejected‚ explaining that a song is submitted to individual radio stations.
“This is not something that management would get involved in. It is up to individual radio stations to reject or accept. I don’t know if there are radio stations that have rejected the song because that kind of decision doesn’t fall into my area of work.”
Kganyago went on to add that there are no issues between the broadcaster and Babes‚ explaining that her other songs are being played.
Earlier this month Babes’ team said that the song was certainly not about drugs.
“There is not a single lyric about alcohol and drugs in her single Mercedes. A Mercedes Benz is Babes’ dream car which she wants to buy for her father and this is what she refers to in the song‚” explained her manager Victor Dlokolo.
“People love to celebrate and pay attention to negativity‚ and give it hype. Babes is just sitting on top of her dream car singing her song‚ but now people are saying she is promoting drugs‚” he added.
SABC says it hasn't banned Babes Wodumo's new song
The SABC has rubbished reports it has banned Babes Wodumo’s song Mercedes‚ insisting that songs are either rejected or accepted.
“The term banning was used during Apartheid and the SABC has not banned any song since 1994‚” said spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
Enca reported MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Weziwe Thusi‚ released a statement welcoming the banning of Mercedes by the public broadcaster.
“We live in difficult times where our children are heavily involved in substance abuse and we cannot afford to have songs that can be mistaken as promoting drug abuse. Just this year two children lost their lives to drugs following a house party in KwaMashu. We welcome this bold and progressive step by SABC management‚” Thusi is quoted as saying.
But the SABC maintains it doesn’t ban any song and all songs submitted go through a process of either being playlisted or are rejected.
“There are various procedures which determine if a song is aired. If a song is seen to incite violence‚ it won’t be played. That doesn’t amount to banning. Music gets rejected all the time‚” said Kganyago.
At the same time‚ Kganyago wasn’t able to say whether or not the song had been rejected‚ explaining that a song is submitted to individual radio stations.
“This is not something that management would get involved in. It is up to individual radio stations to reject or accept. I don’t know if there are radio stations that have rejected the song because that kind of decision doesn’t fall into my area of work.”
Kganyago went on to add that there are no issues between the broadcaster and Babes‚ explaining that her other songs are being played.
Earlier this month Babes’ team said that the song was certainly not about drugs.
“There is not a single lyric about alcohol and drugs in her single Mercedes. A Mercedes Benz is Babes’ dream car which she wants to buy for her father and this is what she refers to in the song‚” explained her manager Victor Dlokolo.
“People love to celebrate and pay attention to negativity‚ and give it hype. Babes is just sitting on top of her dream car singing her song‚ but now people are saying she is promoting drugs‚” he added.
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