Journalists’ phones had been tapped and intelligence operatives had visited the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) offices‚ the Congress of the People (Cope) claimed on Tuesday.
Party spokesman Dennis Bloem said that the broadcaster’s chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng had “conspired” to keep news of municipalities and protests out of the public arena because the African National Congress (ANC) was feeling threatened.
“No wonder we are witnessing a palace revolt because the situation at the SABC has become toxic‚ corrosive and untenable‚” he said‚ adding that his party supported a boycott of TV licences.
Also read: 'Jimi Matthews being used to turn SABC into a laughing stock': ANC
“Cope has now been reliably informed that journalist’s communication devices have been tapped by the State Security Agency. According to our sources in the SABC‚ this activity has been escalated to unprecedented proportions.
“They tell us that the incident which took place in KZN SABC offices‚ when intelligence operatives visited staffers‚ is now also happening at Auckland Park. This allegation is not far-fetched. It is part of the agenda to control the flow of information. The Secrecy Bill is now being brought in through the back door.
“A climate of fear has now gripped all honest and professional journalists‚” he said in a statement.
There were no independent accounts from SABC staff about being placed under surveillance cited in the statement.
Staff at the SABC have threatened a news blackout‚ The Times reported on Tuesday. Senior managers‚ including journalists‚ were seeking an urgent meeting with the SABC board to discuss editorial decisions made by Motsoeneng.
Such is the dictatorship at the SABC‚ claimed Bloem‚ Motsoeneng wanted fiction to override reality.
“His order that no negative coverage of Mr Jacob Zuma be broadcast because he ‘deserves a certain degree of respect as president of the country’‚ is irrational‚ arrogant and self-serving.”
The resignation of acting CEO Jimi Matthews on Monday‚ he said‚ had been condemned by most political parties‚ but not by the ANC.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa criticised Matthews – in an interview with the SABC on Tuesday‚ for the public way he had resigned‚ citing a “corrosive atmosphere” at the state broadcaster.
“If he was genuine as an employee of the SABC‚ given the challenges that he talked about in his letter‚ he should have approached the board‚ the management even the minister and I’m certain that if anyone has the interests of South African people‚ he would not have made SABC a laughing stock in the manner he has done‚” Kodwa told the SABC.
Bloem said that Cope wanted to “see the back of Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the others who have sought to run the SABC as their grandmothers’ spaza shop”.
– TMG Digital
Spooks ‘watching’ SABC staff‚ Cope claims
Journalists’ phones had been tapped and intelligence operatives had visited the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) offices‚ the Congress of the People (Cope) claimed on Tuesday.
Party spokesman Dennis Bloem said that the broadcaster’s chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng had “conspired” to keep news of municipalities and protests out of the public arena because the African National Congress (ANC) was feeling threatened.
“No wonder we are witnessing a palace revolt because the situation at the SABC has become toxic‚ corrosive and untenable‚” he said‚ adding that his party supported a boycott of TV licences.
Also read: 'Jimi Matthews being used to turn SABC into a laughing stock': ANC
“Cope has now been reliably informed that journalist’s communication devices have been tapped by the State Security Agency. According to our sources in the SABC‚ this activity has been escalated to unprecedented proportions.
“They tell us that the incident which took place in KZN SABC offices‚ when intelligence operatives visited staffers‚ is now also happening at Auckland Park. This allegation is not far-fetched. It is part of the agenda to control the flow of information. The Secrecy Bill is now being brought in through the back door.
“A climate of fear has now gripped all honest and professional journalists‚” he said in a statement.
There were no independent accounts from SABC staff about being placed under surveillance cited in the statement.
Staff at the SABC have threatened a news blackout‚ The Times reported on Tuesday. Senior managers‚ including journalists‚ were seeking an urgent meeting with the SABC board to discuss editorial decisions made by Motsoeneng.
Such is the dictatorship at the SABC‚ claimed Bloem‚ Motsoeneng wanted fiction to override reality.
“His order that no negative coverage of Mr Jacob Zuma be broadcast because he ‘deserves a certain degree of respect as president of the country’‚ is irrational‚ arrogant and self-serving.”
The resignation of acting CEO Jimi Matthews on Monday‚ he said‚ had been condemned by most political parties‚ but not by the ANC.
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa criticised Matthews – in an interview with the SABC on Tuesday‚ for the public way he had resigned‚ citing a “corrosive atmosphere” at the state broadcaster.
“If he was genuine as an employee of the SABC‚ given the challenges that he talked about in his letter‚ he should have approached the board‚ the management even the minister and I’m certain that if anyone has the interests of South African people‚ he would not have made SABC a laughing stock in the manner he has done‚” Kodwa told the SABC.
Bloem said that Cope wanted to “see the back of Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the others who have sought to run the SABC as their grandmothers’ spaza shop”.
– TMG Digital
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