This is what could happen if the SABC doesn’t do what Icasa says

·12 Jul 2016

Defiant SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng says that the public broadcaster will not yield to Icasa’s order that it reverse its censorship policy – which puts the entire organisation at risk.

According to the Independent Communication Authority of SA’s (Icasa) Rubben Mohlaloga, speaking to talk radio 702 on Tuesday, should the SABC not act on the body’s order, it has punitive measures at its disposal.

These include issuing warnings, fines, and in extreme cases, having licences revoked or suspended.

The SABC has 7 days to show Icasa that it has reversed its policy – or to challenge the order.

Speaking after the ruling was made, Motsoeneng did not mince his words in saying the broadcaster would challenge it.

He told media that no one would tell the SABC what to do, and that the policy to ban airing footage of “violent protests” would continue.

He said that newsrooms at all media houses and publications engaged in some form of “censorship”, and that the SABC’s policy was no different. The SABC dismissed that it was ‘blanket-banning’ visuals, but rather “putting a veil over the footage”.

The broadcaster has maintained that the decision was not a ‘policy’ which was adopted by the company, but rather an editorial decision for the direction of the newsroom.

It said that it would still cover violent protests – but only the aftermath, with no live coverage as public property was being destroyed.

Motsoeneng claimed that it was the SABC which broke the news of the Tshwane protests – one of the main points of contention that brought the policy into the spotlight due to the conspicuous lack of coverage on the public broadcaster’s news channels.