SABC's acting head of news Jimi Matthews has instructed his newsroom to stop referring to President Jacob Zuma's village retreat at Nkandla as a "compound" or "homestead".

In what looks like political pressure being applied to the public broadcaster to effect self-censorship, Matthews also ordered his reporters to refrain from using what he termed "imported terminology" such as "Nkandlagate" to refer to the reported R238-million renovations to Zuma's home.

He has also barred them from using the term "Zumaville" when reporting on the developments taking place in Nkandla.

The development, which includes the building of clinics and other modern facilities in the area, is said to cost about R2-billion.

Cope acting chief whip MP Juli Kilian lifted the lid on Matthews' shocking instructions to his news team in Parliament yesterday when she read out Matthews' e-mail.

In the e-mail, which Sowetan has since obtained, Matthews writes: "Your (sic) are hereby notified that, with immediate effect, President Zuma's Nkandla home should be referred to as the President's, or Mr Zuma's 'Nkandla residence', and not a 'compound' or 'homestead' or any other such term."

Kilian slammed the move, calling it "deplorable political censorship" that was a "direct attack on freedom of expression and the editorial independence of the SABC".

Kilian threatened to report Matthews to communications regulator Icasa because she believed his orders were at odds with the Broadcasting Act and the SABC's licence agreement with Icasa.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment, saying the e-mail was internal communication.

This is not the first time the SABC has been embroiled in a scandal over self-censorship.

In September it was reported that SABC political reporters had confronted Matthews over his decision to ban any news broadcasts of expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's visits to Marikana.