AfriForum: Pta not Tshwane

2009-06-18 21:15

Pretoria - AfriForum on Thursday asked the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) to prohibit the SABC from using the municipal name Tshwane to refer to Pretoria, CEO Kallie Kriel said.

The BCCSA was conducting a hearing into the use of the name Tshwane at which the legal teams of the SABC and AfriForum voiced their respective standpoints on the matter.

This followed after AfriForum submitted a complaint against the use of the name Tshwane with the BCCSA earlier this year.

"The ruling of the BCCSA is expected within three weeks," Kriel said.

Unfair reporting - AfriForum

Kriel said he believed AfriForum presented the tribunal with a strong case and he was optimistic about the imminent ruling.

AfriForum said the use of the name Tshwane amounted to unfair reportage and unequal treatment, as Tshwane was the only municipal name constantly used during news bulletins, while all other towns' and cities' names were used.

According to AfriForum, it was impractical to use municipal names, as most municipalities comprised more than one town or city.

Kriel said the Tshwane Metropolitan Council's ideologically-driven efforts to mislead the public into believing the capital's name was no longer Pretoria, had been supported by SABC TV news incorrectly referring to Pretoria as Tshwane.
 

- SAPA