Zuma Tells South Africa’s Main Broadcaster Not to Report on Calls for Him to Stand Down from Presidency
William Turvill, Daily Mail (London), December 24, 2013
The South African public broadcaster has been warned not to report on calls for Jacob Zuma to step down as president, according to campaign groups.
A spokesman from the country’s Right2Know group said the interference ‘makes a mockery of the principle of freedom of expression’.
The claim, which is denied by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, was reported by Right2Know and fellow campaign group SOS Coalition.
According to News24, SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said: ‘There was no such instruction. People just interpreted things their own way. [Journalists] were told not to punt one side of the story to balance it.’
He added: ‘They spent a long time one side of the story without calling to get views from the other side.’
Right2Know’s Mark Weinberg claimed the groups had learned about the instruction through the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union.
He said members of the union were given the instructions on Friday.
It was also reported earlier this month that broadcasts showing of booing of President Zuma at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service had been banned.
According to City Press, the crowd booed his face every time it showed up on a big screen at the service.
