SABC defends itself

2006-06-24 13:20

Johannesburg - Public broadcaster SABC defended its withdrawal of an "unauthorised" documentary on President Thabo Mbeki in a full-page newspaper advertisement on Saturday.

"At no stage was any pressure, political or otherwise, exerted on our editorial or legal staff," read the advert, which ran in the Saturday Star and was signed by SABC group chief executive officer Dali Mpofu.

The SABC had tried to "renegotiate and reschedule" the documentary, which was to have been screened on May 17, but was pulled the same day.

It was part of a series of "unauthorised" documentaries on prominent people.

"Since then, the producers of the documentary, an outside production company called Broad Daylight Films, have initiated a campaign whose main thrust is to mobilise public opinion around the notion that the SABC's abovementioned decision was motivated by political considerations, more specifically, politically motivated pressure by external political forces and/or internally by senior management of the SABC."

Mpofu said the documentary was pulled because of "editorial and legal concerns". The SABC felt it lacked balance and had structural defects.

The national broadcaster's lawyers said sections were defamatory and consent was needed from other media to broadcast some of the material.

External legal opinion agreed that parts were "incurably defamatory and that none of the legal defences to defamation of character were available to the SABC".

Mpofu said Broad Daylight Films "failed or refused to effect suggested editorial changes", which the SABC had the right to order in terms of its contract with Broad Daylight.

The documentary was pulled at the last minute and Mpofu said he had personally apologised to Broad Daylight later for not having had time to warn them of this because of the tight deadlines.

- SAPA