The SABC has appointed an independent monitoring company to make sure staffers report on the next elections with balance and fairness, the public broadcaster said on Friday.

"Every news bulletin, every panel discussion, every public affairs programme and all coverage of participants in the election will be scrutinised," said acting chief executive of the SABC, Gab Mampone, in a statement.

"This will ensure that the entire SABC News staff - from the editors to individual reporters - remain conscious of their mission to report on the election in a fair and balanced manner."

The SABC also denied that it had given favourable coverage to the ANC breakaway group led by former defence minister and ANC chairman Terror Lekota.

"An analysis of 405 TV items and 510 radio items broadcast between 8 October and 8 November showed that the ANC received more than 50 percent of the coverage."

Research showed that 80 percent of adult South Africans choose the SABC for their news and at least 86 percent of voters will have listened to an SABC news broadcast in the days and hours preceding a election day.

"We occupy a distinctive position of trust in the lives of our viewers and listeners," said Mampone.  "It is our duty to provide consistent, relevant and top-quality information on which all South Africans can rely as they discuss current issues, deliberate and form opinions."

He has denied reports that the SABC was hauled over the coals by the ANC for alleged bias in its coverage of the party.

The SABC intends meeting political parties ahead of the elections to discuss their coverage, starting in Cape Town next week, saying it hadcome under a lot of pressure from parties.

It also said it would not tolerate factionalism in its newsroom and would protect journalists from political attacks.