The governing ANC will conduct nationwide pickets against the scourge of racism.
They will be picketing at eNCA offices and other centres.
The governing party is upset over eNCA management’s defense of the organisation’s political journalist, Lindsay Dentlinger.
Dentlinger sparked a public uproar when video footage of her asking Black Members of Parliament to keep their masks on while she had allowed White MPs to speak on the broadcaster’s platform without wearing theirs went viral on social media.
Following public pressure for the company to comment, the 24-hour news broadcaster said Dentlinger’s conduct during the coverage of the Budget Speech was not racially motivated or with malicious intent.
Various quarters have slammed this as hogwash.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, requesting that an urgent inquiry be instituted against the company and Dentlinger, while the the UDM Youth Vanguard has rejected eNCA’s response as disrespectful.
eNCA journalist under fire:
The organisation says it is arrogant of eNCA to find excuses to justify behaviour that continuously leaves the nation wounded.
It has called on the South African Human Rights Commission, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA), the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and Parliament to hold the organisation accountable.
The Inkatha Freedom Party’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa has said he won’t be conducting any interviews with the broadcaster until it has revised its statement on the saga.
The President has told Sanef members that he was disturbed by Dentlinger’s conduct.
“We all learn we all make mistakes and let’s hope that this is what will continue to guide us as we deal with many issues in our country,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said during a Q&A session with the editors.
Civil rights group, #NotInMyNameInternational, has on the other hand called for the suspension or sacking of the journalist.
eNCA has told #NotInMyNameInternational that it was investigating the matter further.
