Public broadcaster has failed people

I AM writing this letter after a series of events that took place at the SABC.

Some of them need answers, for instance the 90% local music content.

For us the most important thing is that it has to be relevant music that attracts audiences. You can’t just play South African music for the sake of playing South African music.

In one of Independent Communications Authority of SA’s (Icasa) documents published in the Government Gazette in March, it quotes the SABC as saying that a suggested 70% quota was too high and could lead to loss of audiences.

As a result, commercial stations were allowed to play 35% local music. However, according to Icasa, the SABC would still increase their quota of local music.

Another issue is the service delivery protests. The SABC has taken a decision not to broadcast violent service delivery protests.

However, part of its editorial policy is to educate. It’s an insult to the country’s intelligence and a grievous assault on our democracy. This is precisely what the apartheid government used to do. It tried to make people believe blacks were happy under apartheid.

Government must find out why are service delivery protests taking place and what can be done to mitigate them. The SABC must endeavour to find out why violence and criminality are associated with service delivery protests.

Another issue is the banning of editors and newspapers. The reading of newspaper headlines on all SABC platforms has been banned. However, the SABC lacks credibility and impartiality – the tenets by which which a news source is judged.

The SABC has failed.

Lehlohonolo Lehana Mokhethi, Roodepoort