SABC pulls second DA advert

·30 Apr 2014

The SABC has removed a second Democratic Alliance (DA) advert – allegedly on the basis of falsifying information.

On Wednesday (30 April), the DA reported that the SABC has blocked its second advert, which was created in response to the first “banning”.

“The DA has just learnt that the SABC will not allow our second Ayisafani television advert to air in this crucial final week of the campaign,” the party said in a statement.

“This is political censorship, plain and simple,” the DA said.

The DA announced that party leader Helen Zille and Gauteng candidate Mmusi Maimane would be holding an urgent meeting to “address the censorship of Ayisafani 2”.

Reason given for the pulling of the advert appears to be due to the “falsification of information”, according to sources from within the party, although nothing concrete has been communicated through official channels.

Earlier in April, the SABC removed the DA’s first “Ayisafani” (it’s not the same) advert from broadcast, saying that images of the SAPS attacking citizens would incite violence against police, and that many claims in the advert were not factual.

The DA took the case Icasa, which subsequently postponed the case indefinitely. However, the advert was then pulled after the SAPS lodged a complaint against the content of the ad, which was upheld by Icasa.

The DA’s second Ayisafani advert focuses on job creation and the growth of the DA, again featuring Maimane as speaker.

“So they tried to silence us, but this is what they’re really afraid of,” Maimane says in the ad.

“We are growing, we are strong, we can win. Millions of South Africans are uniting behind a party that can bring change.”

Maimane continues, saying that the party can cut corruption; guarantees free higher education for qualifying matrics; create 1 million internships; and create 6 million real, permanent jobs.

The SABC could not be reached for comment.