DA: Statement by Helen Zille, DA Leader, SABC agrees to flight DA’s banned ‘Ayisafani’ adverts immediately (16/04/2014)

16th April 2014

DA: Statement by Helen Zille, DA Leader, SABC agrees to flight DA’s banned ‘Ayisafani’ adverts immediately (16/04/2014)

The DA has received confirmation from the SABC that the flighting of our banned ‘Ayisafani’ television adverts and radio adverts can resume immediately. The SABC’s revised position on this matter is a victory for freedom of expression and political activity, albeit a temporary one.

The SABC’s newly-appointed legal team wrote a letter to our legal representatives today requesting more time to prepare an affidavit so that it could answer the case at a mutually agreed date. The DA accepted this on the basis that it would mean the immediate resumption of our advertisements on the public broadcaster.

We maintain that the banning of the ‘Ayisafani’ advertisements was unlawful and unconstitutional. No amount of further preparation on the part of the SABC’s legal team will change that. We stand ready to defend our advertisements at a future hearing.

In the meantime, we will continue with our ‘Ayisafani’ advert on the SABC and other channels. This includes social media, where our Youtube video has gone viral as a result of the SABC’s ban.