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The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition notes with grave concern the latest developments at our public broadcaster the SABC. The Head of News, Mr. Phil Molefe, has been placed on special leave for the second time this year. SOS notes the heated media speculation around this issue. Speculation includes the fact that Mr. Molefe fell out with the new CEO, Ms Luluma Mokhobo, due to his extensive coverage of ex-ANC Youth League President, Julius Malema. The story is that Mr. Molefe was fighting for editorial independence at the SABC and for the right to cover all views but he has now been stopped short in this process. However, other media stories claim that Mr Molefe was re-structuring the news department to make the latter more compliant to ruling party views and that he was effectively side-lining independent perspectives and demoting people such as news executive Jimi Matthews.

As respected media academic Franz Kruger comments, we will probably never know the truth. However, what we can say is that this speculation is not healthy for our public broadcaster. It deepens the disillusionment around the institution and citizens’ belief in its ability to play its public service broadcaster role.

So given this latest crisis what is to be done? The SOS Coalition believes there are a few critical principles and actions that need to be followed…

Firstly, we need strong public statements from all stakeholders including all political parties, Parliament, the Minister, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and the SABC itself (including management and the Board) that they will fight to build a strong, transparent, independent, citizen-orientated SABC - and that in fighting for this vision they will fight to safeguard the SABC’s independence from all vested interests be they political or commercial.

Secondly, we need a commitment from Parliament and ICASA to play their critical oversight roles and to thoroughly follow up on issues of good governance and accountability. SOS notes for instance that the recommendations of the Auditor’s General’s report, including regarding leadership and transparency, have remained largely unimplemented since 2009. Further, we need ICASA to publically commit to constantly monitor our screens to ensure excellent, local, public service programming. (It would also help if the Department of Communications ensures that the necessary resources are made available for ICASA to purchase and operationalise critical monitoring systems. This is long, long overdue.)

Thirdly, we need the Minister to swiftly implement the broadcasting policy review process so that a new public service broadcasting vision can be crafted for the digital broadcasting age - and that the roles of governance and oversight structures can be clarified and enforced. We do not believe that the Minister should be playing a hands-on, management role at the SABC, since that only serves to deepen the perception of political interference in the public broadcaster. While the ongoing instability at our public broadcaster encourages Ministerial involvement, this should be limited and transparently done – and intended to empower the Board to govern the SABC as it is required to do. Ultimately however we believe that Ministerial involvement pushes the SABC in a “state” rather than a “public” broadcaster direction and that this is not in the interests of citizens.

Finally, we need a strong public statement from the SABC Board and management around their vision for the news department including staffing of this department, their plans for the 24 hour news channel and programming plans for other new digital broadcasting channels. We need to know from the SABC board and management what their plans are to stabilise the SABC and to create a strong professional management team to ensure quality, local, public service programming on our screens. As regards this latest crisis, we need to be convinced that the placing of Mr. Molefe on special leave - and creating yet another gap at the management level - is in fact in the best interests of the public broadcaster and all viewers and listeners.

The SOS working group is meeting this morning to discuss these matters further.

The SOS Coalition represents a number of trade unions including COSATU, CWU, FEDUSA, BEMAWU and MWASA; independent film and TV production sector organisations including the South African Screen Federation (SASFED); and a host of NGOs and CBOs including the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), the Freedom of Expression Network (FXN), Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), Workers World Media Productions (WWMP), as well as a number of academics and freedom of expression activists.