Trade union Solidarity would on Wednesday file an urgent court application to ensure that the four dismissed South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) journalists, who were on Wednesday barred from resuming their duties at the SABC, were able to go back to work.

Radio Sonder Grense (RSG) executive producer Foeta Krige, Afrikaans news producer Suna Venter, journalist Jacques Steenkamp and SAFM current affairs producer Krivani Pillay, who successfully challenged their dismissals in Johannesburg’s Labour Court, were prevented from entering their workplace after they turned up for work on Wednesday morning.

The SABC has since indicated it would appeal the Labour Court judgement that set aside the four journalists’ dismissal. The court, in a scathing judgement delivered by Judge Andre van Niekerk, had said the termination of their employment last week was unlawful, and put the liability of legal costs on the SABC’s door step.

The suspension and subsequent dismissal of several journalists drew widespread outcry from civil society and political parties.

Last month, the governing African National Congress (ANC) condemned the SABC for its decision to stop showing footage of the destruction of property during protests, and said the policy went against its mandate as the country’s public broadcaster.

The journalists earlier this month approached the Constitutional Court for direct access to argue to have the ban on airing footage of violence reversed.

Last week, the SABC made a U-turn and said it would reverse the ban after it was challenged in the North Gauteng High Court court by the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF).

The public broadcaster negotiated and reached a settlement with the HSF in court.

The SABC also eventually agreed to implement an earlier ruling by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) ordering it to lift the ban on covering protests.