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Busi be careful, ANN7 dishes out evidence of state capture

New public protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, last week ordered her staff to switch the body's TV sets from eNCA to channelANN7.

The latter belongs to the Guptas and effectively operates as a propaganda unit for the family and its business and political interests.

Mkhwebane might well have had some inkling as to the coverage the channel gave to her first acts in her new job. It featured her making various statements about how she would change the operations of an institution that has made many pronouncements that cast the Guptas as veritable villains.

ANN7 showed Mkhwebane voicing an implied critique of her predecessor, Thuli Madonsela, declaring that she intends fostering a more friendly approach to the state - thus raising the question of whether she understands her role: to question the state and its functionaries when they are perceived to be working against the public interest.

After all, Mkhwebane is supposed to be the protector of the public, not of the state. In typical ANN7 fashion, where straplines across the top of the screen present not facts but opinions on whatever issue was being addressed, the channel gleefully declared that Madonsela's term was "unravelling".

ANN7 straplines often present outrageous opinions, taking sides on controversial issues, urging viewers to agree with the point of view of the Guptas.

In the Mkhwebane broadcast, the straplines read: "Sheen off Madonsela's glory", "New PP drops a bombshell", "Thuli used private firm to probe Zuma", "PP office received private funds", "Madonsela's propriety under cloud", and "Mkhwebane exposes dirt in PP office" - every one of them untrue.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan recently said that those who have tried to capture the state have their own media. He was referring to the Guptas' TV channel and New Age newspaper. The channel has taken as its prime function the defence of the Guptas, and by extension of President Jacob Zuma.

What this means is that it opposes every suggestion that the Gupta family is implicated in any way in any controversy, and there are many of these: from the illegal Waterkloof landing (which it did not cover when all other media featured it), to the deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas issue, to state capture, the single most important issue in the country.

The channel relentlessly gives voice to Zuma's fellow travellers, from minerals minister Mosebenzi Zwane, local government minister Des van Rooyen, ANC leader Jesse Duarte to ANC Youth League president Collen Maine and MK veterans leader Kebby Maphatsoe - and now public protector Mkhwebane.

The channel attacks all those trying to hold Zuma to account for his deplorable leadership, from Gordhan to former finance minister Trevor Manuel, to Madonsela.

The channel has deployed a string of commentators, many of whom have never been consulted by any other media, who unreservedly attack Zuma's enemies.

Who ever heard of Sethakgi Kgomo or Levy Ndou? Try googling them. And Mzwanele Manyi is given free reign to sprout libellous nonsense, as is Andile Mngxitama.

The channel often manufactures stories that promote its agenda, stories no other media house registers as newsworthy.

Thus, when a reporter relentlessly pestered Manuel and he used the F-word, the channel squeezed hours of coverage from this non-issue, with the straps: "Manuel named in R100m SARS deal", "Graft case against Manuel" and "Manuel abuses scribe in response".

Again, all untrue.

Using ridiculously childish tit-for-tat, Manyi, Mngxitama and others have reacted to the state capture issue by accusing others of state capture - exactly those fighting state capture. The channel was granted the right to broadcast by Icasa, and one has to wonder if the body is fulfilling its function - regulating broadcasters. Or has it, too, been captured?

The function of a news channel is the presentation of news and facts about happenings in South Africa and beyond. Opinion can be interesting if well argued and based on fact.

What ANN7 dishes out is nothing but evidence of state capture.

Momoniat is a freelance writer.

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