Muthambi in row over ‘censorship’
FAITH Muthambi’s quest for total control of the SABC has spilt into the newsroom, with the controversial communications minister allegedly censoring a journalist’s interview with her.
At a government imbizo in Lephalale, Limpopo, two weeks ago, Muthambi lashed out at SABC TV reporter Kgaogelo Magolego when he asked her about the much-delayed digital migration programme.
In a recording obtained by the Sunday Times, Muthambi scolded Magolego for asking “boring” questions about her department’s failure to meet the June 2015 deadline to switch from analogue to digital terrestrial TV.
Magolego had been interviewing Muthambi on the sidelines of the imbizo. The interview started with an apparently jovial Muthambi fielding questions about the importance of digital migration. “It means that people will be able to have quality sound, quality pictures,” she said.
But then her mood changed and she refused to discuss the delays in digital migration.
“We are launching an imbizo focus week. We are not doing any digital migration. Or you didn’t get a proper briefing, because you are losing it. You must grab these things,” she said angrily.
“This interview on digital migration several times is very boring, on a serious note, and I wouldn’t like you to play that clip. I have realised very late. I thought you gonna say, what this [is about] . . . because now is an imbizo focus week. Re a utlwana batho? [Do we get each other, people?]” she said, then cut short the interview.
Insiders at the SABC said the clip was never aired, and Muthambi’s office instructed the SABC to take action against Magolego.
Muthambi’s spokesman, Mishack Molakeng, said the minister had found Magolego’s digital migration question “boring” because SABC reporters had been raising the issue “for months”, despite the department’s digital migration public awareness campaign.
Molakeng denied that Muthambi had been verbally abusive and he said she was not trying to intervene in editorial decisions at the SABC.
“The minister has no history of being abusive [to] or humiliating journalists. It was made clear to media attending this particular occasion that the minister was there on a national imbizo and this was the agenda of the day,” said Molakeng.
“It is unfortunate that you want to then insinuate that the minister is attempting to take editorial control at the SABC.”
The Sunday Times understands that the head of TV news, Nothando Maseko, told her Limpopo editors to institute disciplinary processes against Magolego, who had failed to comply with an order to go back to Lephalale and do a story focusing on Muthambi’s imbizo.
SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that no story was broadcast based on Magolego’s digital migration questions, but denied that the corporation had acted on Muthambi’s instructions.
“The SABC does not report to the Department of Communications for editorial direction.
“The allegations are false and deceitful. The allegation about Minister Muthambi getting involved in this matter is a malicious lie,” Kganyago said.
He said Maseko did speak to Magolego after she had received a complaint from Limpopo editors that the SABC was being beaten on the story because the journalist had told the office “he did not find anything interesting and was not going to package”.
HEADLINE ACT: Faith Muthambi, left, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, centre, and William Mokhari SC, right