affidavit<\/a> to its complaint lodged with ICASA.<\/p>\nThe DA said that the affidavit demonstrates ‘a renewed desperation by the SABC’ to use misleading and contradictory excuses to not air its election adverts.<\/p>\n
“The SABC has argued that they have to wait to confirm that we are a registered political party and have submitted our lists. This is a joke,” said Phumzile Van Damme, DA naional spokesperson.<\/p>\n
“The DA said that political parties are allowed to buy airtime to flight their adverts as soon as the election date is proclaimed. “Quite bizarrely, their contradictory affidavit proceeded to reference this very regulation,” Van Damme said.<\/p>\n
The SABC said it needed until 4 June 2016 to \u201cinvestigate\u201d the matter.<\/p>\n
“The DA is still not clear what needed to be investigated. Again, the regulations are clear \u2013 and the DA complied with these \u2013 as we have done in the past. The request for an investigation was merely a thinly veiled attempt to delay the adverts by a week, and therefore limit their effect on the election campaign,” Van Damme said.<\/p>\n
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that the SABC is determined to do whatever it can to censor our adverts and prevent the public from having an opportunity to engage with our offer for change that will move South Africa forward again.”<\/p>\n