Memorandum of demands presented by the South African Communist Party (SACP) Gauteng Province to the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)

21 October 2012, SABC Aukland Park Johannesburg

We, members of the SACP, together with our Alliance partners and revolutionary forces in Gauteng Province, Committed to the fight against corruption as the principal objective of the SACP`s 2012 Red October Campaign,

And further appreciating that the fight against corruption is one of the key priorities of the current administration and the Alliance as expressed in the African National Congress`(ANC) 2009 Electoral Manifesto,

Reaffirm the role of the SABC as a public broadcaster with a clear constitutional mandate that is underpinned by legislative and regulatory framework well expressed in Section 192 of the Constitution of the Republic which prescribes that national legislation must establish an independent authority to regulate broadcasting in the public interest, and to ensure fairness and a diversity of views broadly representing South African Society.

Further reaffirm the provisions of the Broadcasting Act 4 of 1999 that directs the SABC to adopt a Public Broadcasting Service Charter as a suitable and appropriate platform for regular inputs of public opinion on its services and ensure that such public opinion is given due consideration.

In addition, Chapter 1V, section (8) (f) of the Act specifies that the corporation must develop a Code of Practice that ensures that services and personnel comply with the following: a high standard of accuracy, fairness and impartiality in news and programmes that deal with matters of public interest.

We firmly believe that unless decisive and drastic action is taken, such mandate and responsibility of the SABC as a public broadcaster is under serious and severe threat.

We therefore demand that the current Board of the SABC should resign or be dissolved as a matter of extreme urgency for failure to ensure the following:

1. To defend the SABC against the scourge of corruption that poses a serious and real threat to its legislative and constitutional mandate.

The Board dismally failed to defend and protect workers who played the role of whistleblowers, and in many instances management victimised such workers and those that resisted and fought against corruption.

SABC is severely compromised by interests of tenderpreneurs colluding with monopoly capital through outsourcing, privatisation, casualisation, labour brokering and blatant abuse and exploitation of workers.

This collusion and more often competing interests perpetuates the destabilisation of SABC management and leadership.

In this context, we call for a Commission of Inquiry and forensic investigation into the scourge of corruption and the immediate reinstatement of victimised workers who acted as whistleblowers and those who were sacrificed to shield and protect senior managers and Board members implicated in alleged acts of corruption.

In relation to the above, we demand a proper investigation of the cost and expenditure patterns of the SABC and the forces that benefit from such spending patterns. This is critical to ensure financial sustainability and the development of a funding model that will protect the character, role and mandate of the SABC as a public broadcaster.

We further call on the Board to ensure that it defend the principle of local content offered in local languages, and that the development of such local content programmes must not be outsourced to private providers, but that internal capacity be created within the SABC for such programmes.

2. Defend the constitutional and legislative mandate of the SABC as a public broadcaster, which is to educate, inform and entertain the South African public across its diversity. In this regard, the SABC`s continues to transgress and violate high standards of accuracy, fairness and impartiality.
3. Play an oversight role with respect to international best practice to defend and promote national interest, in particular the principles of democracy, non-racialism, gender relations and the unity of the nation. In this regard, the SABC must play a role of being a primary platform for conveying positive messages from government. In relation to this, the SABC has a responsibility and obligation to ensure that its network reaches all South Africans, across race, gender and class in their preferred languages.
4. Ensure that the SABC fulfil its role of providing information, education, and entertainment for all South Africans. Contrary to the above prescripts, SABC News on TV and Radio, always subjects critical messages of government to third voice status by over-using “analysts” handpicked by the Corporation to interpret these crucial messages. In the process of doing this, government is denied the opportunity to communicate directly to the citizens and to empower them to make their own decisions about the content of the message they receive.

Related to the above, there is an overt lack of balance and professionalism displayed mostly by those responsible for news broadcast that often perpetuates negative views from the public. This is often done even in instances where there is availability of information in the public sphere.

5. Defend the Public Broadcaster against deliberate and conscious acts of political factionalism, prejudice and contemptuous attitude against leaders and members of the Ruling Party, and government in favour of demagogues and populists that are hell bent of undermining and weakening national democracy.

This is clear from the amount of coverage offered to factional elements, unmediated and raw broadcast of negative and anti-government messages, derogatory, racist and demeaning ETV type of treatment against certain leaders of the Ruling Party, especially the Head of State.

Evidence to support our claim is clear from certain TV and Radio News and Programmes such as those during prime time in the morning and afternoon. This includes adverts targeting Africans and Black people that make certain claims without being tested and confirmed by the relevant authorities.

The Board has dismally failed to ensure:

• A balance and variety of views that will provide a broader perspective rather than a single opinion that is summed up to represent the public, as if citizens cannot do their own analysis.
• The broadcaster refrains from abusing their programs to influence the public view in line with the spirit of the Broadcasting Act.
• An end to SABC`s over-dependence on handpicked and more often highly factionalised “Analysts” and Commentators. The end result of this is that the mandate to present the variety of views is over-looked and the public is reduced to be at the mercy of the analysts for information.

We further believe that the SABC Board has failed to ensure the following:

• Training on the professional standards expected from a public service Broadcaster compared to commercial players as we cannot have the SABC reproduce the broadcasting patterns of the `Debra Patters` that lack basic professional manners and are often seen to be biased and set to demonise public representatives. This practice in the public broadcast is unacceptable.
• We are also of the view that this practice is unique to SABC and not based on any international standards that we ascribe to. It is not common on other International Broadcasting Networks such as BBC, CNN, or any other similar organisations.
• Respect for interviewees is of fundamental importance and at all times interviews to be conducted with strict adherence to public broadcasting policy. Whilst we are not advocating for `sweetheart` or `soft` questions`, we are calling for questions to be asked with respect and without prejudice.
• Dismal failure to adhere to the principles of accuracy, fairness and impartiality in news and in dealing with matters of public interest. In this regard, the SABC is increasingly relying on text messages, tweeter and face book on both television and radio platforms to generate content.

Many of these have inaccurate, damaging and insulting messages. There is no effort on the part of the SABC to educate the public about this mandate of the Corporation that they are bound by law to share accurate and fair information.

As a result many common callers have tended to use the platforms to swear and damage the reputation of many individuals. Sadly the SABC on air and production staff are quite happy to read these messages. The trend is that these messages are biased towards one view that is often speaking against the Ruling Party and undermining its capacity to govern.

We therefore call on:

• The Public Broadcaster to refrain from being a tabloid platform where anything and everything goes unclassified.
• That at all times the SABC must reflect South Africa`s attitudes, opinions, ideas and offers a plurality (unbiased) views and variety of news, information analysis from a South African point of view.
• The public broadcaster to take an active role to educate the public on its mandate.
• Review of editorial policies. This should be done in conjunction with the Portfolio Committee on Communications in Parliament.
• Filling of senior positions with capable and credible people who understand that the public broadcaster plays a totally different role from the commercial and mainstream media.
• A lot of issues raised above emanate from the over reliance of the SABC on advertising and sponsorship, therefore the funding of the SABC should be in line with its role as a public broadcaster.
• Research and analysis of the programmes of the SABC should be conducted by a dedicated team so as to establish the trends and assess with evidence to avoid the threat of the SABC serving dubious and factional interests.

In conclusion, we believe that the continued role of the current Board poses a serious threat to the mandate and role of the SABC as a public broadcaster.

We further believe that unless decisive and urgent intervention is made, key and strategic initiatives such as migration from analogue to digital technology will be undermined and put at risk by high levels of corruption led by tenderpreneurs colluding with monopoly capital to loot public and state resources.

We also wish to state that the above demands are supported by strong evidence that can be presented to a credible and reputable Commission of Enquiry into the dismal performance of the Board and acts of corruption and depletion of SABC resources.

We demand a response from the SABC Board within 21 working days from date of receipt of this Memorandum.

Submitted on behalf of the SACP to the SABC Board

by.................................Signature..................

Received on behalf of the SABC Board by.................................Signature........................

Contact:

Jacob Mamabolo
SACP Gauteng Provincial Secretary - 082 884 1868