SABC: Govt 'won't interfere'

2002-08-13 10:32

Cape Town - There was no threat of government interference in the SA Broadcasting Corporation, the National Assembly's communications committee chairperson and ANC MP Nat Kekana said on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of a presentation by the SABC's board to his committee, he dismissed newspaper reports stating that the government wanted to control the public broadcaster.

He told committee members that the reports should be viewed in the context of rivalry between media groups and that newspapers would inevitably criticise their competitors, including the SABC.

"I'm confident there is no crisis in the SABC. There is no threat of intervention. There is no internal meddling in the SABC.

"We support the SABC and believe it is on the right road. After many, many years as the state broadcasters, things are coming together. We are on the right road."

Earlier, the Cape Times reported that the government was making a bid to control the news bulletins on SABC, by amending the law which guarantees the public broadcaster's editorial independence.

The Broadcasting Amendment Bill sought to rein in the news department's independence by forcing the SABC board to seek government's approval of its "policies governing the exercise of accurate, fair and accountable reporting".

The SA National Editors' Forum chairperson Mathatha Tsedu reportedly said the organisation would not countenance any amendment to the Broadcasting Act which sought to undermine the integrity of the SABC's news division.

"If these amendments are actually tabled for discussion, it will be a clear indication that the government intends to turn the SABC from a public broadcaster into more of a state broadcaster. That should be avoided at all costs."

Tsedu, who is the SABC's acting head of news, announced his resignation from the public broadcaster on Monday, but said this had nothing to do with the government's apparent bid to influence news coverage.

SABC CEO Peter Matlare - referring to concerns about the broadcaster's apparent inability to retain its newsroom leadership - told the committee on Tuesday: "We are attracting and retaining some of the best talent in the business."

- SAPA