Sanef said it was 'deeply concerned' about the 'potential undermining of freedom of expression' at eNCA.
Sanef said it was ‘deeply concerned’ about the ‘potential undermining of freedom of expression’ at eNCA.
On Tuesday, Mngambi and Dutton issued an on-air apology for comments made during an eNCA news broadcast on Monday that implied that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had undermined President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authority when banning the sale of tobacco during level 4 of the national Covid-19 lockdown.
“Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of the South African Constitution and enshrined in Section 16. We remind the channel’s management of former president Nelson Mandela’s statement that a ‘critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy’, a view with which we fully agree. Issues regarding news versus comment often given rise to a great deal of unhappiness with the media.
Sanef said it respected the right of media companies to apply their own editorial guidelines, quality control measures, internal policies and directives, but this should never be at odds with the Constitution and industry codes.Sanef added that it would write to eNCA acting managing director Norman Munzhelele, asking for an explanation about why Mngambi and Dutton had been taken off air.
Mngambi’s and Dutton’s remarks were made against the backdrop of the government’s about-turn on the sale of tobacco during the level 4 lockdown, which started on 1 May. This led to speculation that Ramaphosa might have been undermined by his political opponents in the ANC.However, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu tweeted on Friday: “The NCCC changed its own view on the selling of tobacco on Level 4 of the lockdown, which was pronounced by the president. The president fully agreed and endorsed the non-sale of tobacco as an outcome of the consultation process.
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