Media should rid itself of tainted journalists
Recent revelations at Zondo inquiry about journalists being bought is a case in point
POLITICIANS, journalists and opinion leaders should be forced to disclose funders.
The press or media’s democratic function is to help the public make informed decisions when electing a new government. The other critical responsibility of the media is to facilitate the debate regarding policy related matters.
The media traditionally have been playing the role of checks and balances, we should turn to them when we lose confidence in three existing legs of government – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
South Africa’s media has been compromised, especially at the Commission of Inquiry headed by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
We have heard how journalists like Ranjeni Munusamy and Adriaan Basson have been used or bought to drive a certain narrative for either intelligence or corporate organisations.
The DA has branded itself as an anti-corruption organisation for everyone in South Africa.
Sunday publications have made us aware that DA leader Mmusi Maimane has been using a car donated by a controversial Steinhoff chief executive Markus Jooste.
The DA spokesperson, Solly Malatji, has been waffling, trying to deflect using “spin”. There is no material difference whether the car was donated to the organisation or to an individual.
The central point is that the DA has materially and significantly benefited from the controversial Jooste, who is alleged to have been corrupt.
It is clear that there is a relationship between Jooste and the DA. The car was used by the DA leader, both THE march and prayer organised by our ANC Provincial Chairperson and Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane in partnership with the SABC’s Umhlobo Wenene FM and faith-based organisations in the spirit of advancing a call of no to genderbased violence is warmly welcomed.
The premier called all of the men to stand up and say no to genderbased violence and also openly said “Not in our Name as Amadoda”. Our Eastern Cape premier, like the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, is living according to the ANC vision and objectives as adopted in 2012 at the Mangaung Maimane and the DA benefited from the car donated to them.
Embattled President Cyril Ramaphosa’s credibility suffered a major blow when it was discovered that he received millions from controversial and multinational companies, this was not received well as it divided the country as well as his party, the ANC.
Ramaphosa received massive financial support from South Africa’s captains of industry who were worried about the possibility of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the country’s president because she has been, wrongly or rightly, associated with her exhusband, former president Jacob Zuma
It did not end there. Advocate Terry Motau released a VBS report dubbed the “Great Bank Heist” and that is when we learnt how senior leaders of the EFF benefited from a now defunct poor people’s bank.
Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu have directly benefited from the “Great Bank Heist”, they lived large by driving luxury Range Rovers and eating at the “imperialist” Sandton-based restaurants while clients and employees of VBS queued day and night with only a hope of getting their hard-earned money.
It was not the only Red Berets who enjoyed the VBS money. We have seen senior ANC leaders from Limpopo province.
Many municipalities from mostly North West and Limpopo have “invested” taxpayers money into the VBS bank which failed to be saved through curatorship by the Reserve Bank.
This means that the poor people are not able to access their hard-earned money which they had invested into VBS with confidence that they would one day enjoy their investments with Conference and re-adopted at the 2017 Nasrec Conference, that the leaders of the ANC should always keep the aims of the ANC and its survival in mind. The ANC has survived more than 100 years due to:
l Its deep roots and connection with the people.
● Its vibrant internal democracy and collective leadership.
● Its readiness and willingness of its members and leaders to make sacrifices in pursuit of the cause of the people.
● Its ability to adapt to changing their families. Ramaphosa, Malema and Maimane see nothing wrong with benefiting from compromised individuals.
There is a code of conduct committee in Parliament which sees to it that MPs are informing the public of who funds them because it is important as that can be used to influence the policy direction as those people are vested with political power as MPs.
Many MPs are not listing all their interests or disclose their funders, we have seen many dishonest public servants who hide certain information from the nation.
It would be naive or ignorant to believe that it is only politicians who may be bought. We have now heard how journalists have been auctioning their influence to either government or corporates.
The media have sold-out the public, they have partnered with corrupt government officials as well as private sector against the vulnerable public.
There are also opinion leaders such as political or economic experts who are bought or used to drive a certain narrative in pursuit of certain political ends.
The South African media cannot hold the government accountable if they cannot lead by example themselves. We have a Press Ombudsman who have been very quiet even when journalists are implicated in unethical practices which eventually compromise the credibility of South African media.
Basson, Munusamy and others if found to have been corrupt journalists should be banned from practising as journalists. There should be consequence management; we cannot allow Karima Brown and other unethical media personalities to continue conditions and rise to the occasion at critical moments.
● Its leading role in society championing societal issues.
● And its ability to uphold and build unity across South Africans and progressive forces in pursuit of the cause of humanity.
The leadership shown by the Eastern Cape premier in responding to gender-based violence is in pursuit of the cause of humanity.
We need to follow the programme and support in practice the premier’s call, more especially as if nothing happened. Media organisations such as the SA National Editors’ Forum, Broadcasting Complaints Commission and the Press Ombudsman should help to restore the dignity and credibility of South African media.
When lawyers, health practitioners or educators are found to have been involved in unethical or immoral practices, their respective regulating bodies hold them to account.
We have heard stories of how lawyers, doctors or teachers have been banned or suspended from their occupations for a specific duration of time.
Journalists are the only professionals who are allowed unethical practices without any consequences.
Many genuine journalists are betrayed by the mercenary-journalists who are used for misinformation purposes through propaganda machinery.
Opinion leaders who masquerade as experts in certain fields should also disclose their funders. It is obvious that certain “analysts” are used to advance certain narrative.
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng charged recently that there were certain political experts who are regularly used by certain media houses to help them in justifying their ideological position.
While there are thousands of graduates in economics, politics and other fields, we continue to see certain media houses using the same “analysts” because they resonate well with their unethical intentions.
Media should serve its democratic function by being impartial and independent from commercial or political interference.
No force can shake the status of our great motherland, no force can obstruct the advance of the Chinese people and
Chinese nation
us men. We’re all obliged to protect our mothers, sisters and children, promoting a peaceful South Africa and economically free society.
While supporting this beautiful call, we need to also root out corruption – an evil that’s destroying our values of humanity.
We must root out corruption in all spheres, including killing factionalism within the ANC.
In doing so, our country will be a country Tata Nelson Mandela and other fallen heroes and heroines wished for. Let’s all support the ANC and its Eastern Cape leader’s call.
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Monyae is a senior political analyst at the University of Johannesburg