Cosatu shocked at leniency for Snuki Zikalala 09-03-07

 

COSATU shocked at leniency for Snuki Zikalala

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is appalled at the leniency that the SABC has shown to its head of News and Current Affairs, Snuki Zikalala, on charges that he was responsible for a policy of blacklisting political commentators.

The independent commission headed by Zwelakhe Sisulu and Gilbert Marcus confirmed the existence of "an arbitrary blacklist of outside commentators who should not be consulted". They also said that "there is a climate of fear in the broadcaster's newsrooms" and were scathing about "the arbitrary decision-making, the iron-fist rule and the lack of editorial knowledge of the news and current affairs managing director Snuki Zikalala".

It said Zikalala "appears to intervene at a micro-level inappropriate to his level of management ... in a seemingly ad hoc and inconsistent manner ... and then belatedly attempted to develop policy guidelines in regard to these practices".

The report recommended the SABC Board to "take close cognisance of the concerns about the particular management style of Dr Zikalala as outlined in this report, particularly regarding problems of communication and the inappropriately narrow interpretation of the SABC's mandate."

These are extremely serious charges, amounting to a conscious policy of political censorship and bias. Yet the SABC has done little more than give the man responsible a polite talking-to, in the form of a 'verbal warning' not to repeat his offences. It implies that they do not consider political censorship as a serious matter.

It is indicative of the management's attitude that, before his resignation, they were considering taking similar disciplinary action against John Perlman, for publicly exposing the blacklisting policy on air.

As the Commission put it: "Perlman's position 'was in conformity with the factual situation'." Yet the SABC was in effect equating the guilty party with the whistleblower who exposed his misdeeds, and treating their 'offences' as comparable. Perlman should not only not have been threatened with disciplinary action but commended for his integrity and courage.

His departure, and that of other experienced journalists, is indicative of the low morale which the report identified.

This decision further increases COSATU's concerns at the crisis within our public broadcaster. There is clear evidence that it is being manipulated to promote one particular point of view and to smother any expression of contrary opinions.

COSATU echoes the view of the SACP that "we did not wage the struggle for the liberation of this country and the transformation of the public broadcaster only to return to some of the worst practices of the SABC under the apartheid regime".

COSATU will be intensifying its campaign for the SABC to adhere to its constitutional mandate to be a forum for all South Africans, and not the mouthpiece of any faction or vested interest.