The South African Broadcasting Corporation will reinstate the seven news employees who challenged their dismissal for speaking out against a decision by the public broadcaster’s chief operating officer‚ Hlaudi Motsoeneng‚ to ban news coverage of violent protests.

“The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) management has instructed its legal team not to proceed with further legal action and the SABC will reinstate the seven dismissed news employees‚” SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

Kganyago added: “The SABC remains committed to fulfilling its public service mandate“.

 Four of the seven won their case in the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The SABC had dismissed them for allegedly breaching the terms of their employment contracts‚ but the Labour Court found that the dismissals were unlawful and ruled they could return to work. But the broadcaster’s legal team sent their union‚ Solidarity‚ a letter saying they would appeal against the judgment.

Earlier on Wednesday‚ the four journalists — Krivani Pillay‚ Suna Venter‚ Foeta Krige and Jacques Steenkamp — reported for duty but were refused entry‚ pending the threatened appeal‚ according to activists under the banner Right to Know movement‚ who staged a sit-in at the SABC head office.

“R2K strongly condemn the continuous victimization of staff who dare question unethical editorial decisions. SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng must stop treating the SABC as his own private entity to please those who are in power. It is a public broadcaster that is supposed to serve the people‚” the activists said in a statement‚ issued before the u-turn by SABC management.