ANC protests at news channel over racism
THE ANC has hit out at news channel eNCA for wronging the nation and undermining the country’s collective efforts of building a nation on the values of equality and non-racialism, following the broadcaster’s statement defending its reporter, Lindsay Dentlinger.
Dentlinger has come under fire for asking a black politician to wear a mask during an interview, but not doing the same with a white politician when she interviewed them.
While interviewing Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, he was not wearing a mask; yet moments later when UDM deputy leader Nqabayomzi Kwankwa was approached to be interviewed, he took off his mask, but Dentlinger quickly asked him to keep the mask on.
The governing party yesterday embarked on a countrywide anti-racism campaign and held pickets outside eNCA offices.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said South Africans were justifiably enraged by Dentlinger’s pattern of behaviour in which she comfortably interviewed white politicians without their masks on, but as soon as she saw black politicians she suddenly remembered that coronavirus exists.
“This is an insult to all black people. It is consistent with the white supremacist mentality that has historically associated black people with disease and dirt. We remind her and her managers that Covid-19 is not a black pandemic.
“Both Dentlinger and eNCA have wronged our nation and undermined our collective efforts to build a nation on the values of equality and nonracialism. Through its pathetic statement, eNCA has lost a golden opportunity to remove its racist tag and to send a clear and unambiguous message that racism will not be countenanced,” Mabe said.
He added that while they took note of the remarks by the South African National Editors’ Forum last Friday condemning eNCA, they wanted to challenge Sanef and other media houses to take a clear stand against eNCA on the matter.
Mabe said Sanef needed to be consistent and vocal against racism in the media.
“In addition to this recent incident, eNCA has a history of mistreating its black journalists, some of whom have been forced out by the racially intolerable conditions at eNCA. All South Africans and media houses that are committed to a non-racial future must say to eNCA: this far and no further.”
Mabe added that “even at this late hour” they were still calling on eNCA management to say or do something practical that would demonstrate genuine remorse on its part, and that failure by eNCA to deal decisively with racism within its ranks was not only the worst form of dereliction of duty, but amounted to acquiescence with racist behaviour.
Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said there is racial discrimination when different rules and standards are applied to people who differ by race, and that Dentlinger’s failure to treat black politicians the same way as white politicians was racist and inexcusable.
He said South Africa had a deep problem of racism and many people had paid the ultimate price fighting white supremacy, and that racists should not be “overindulged if the country was to eliminate the scourge of racism”.
“The standards should be higher for the media, who pride themselves in holding the powerful accountable. People tainted with racism are illqualified to hold anyone accountable,” Pamla said.
“If we are to have a serious discussion of racial discrimination or of racial issues in general, as a country we cannot hide behind vague words and justifications. eNCA needs to reflect and reconsider its current position on the matter.”