The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has reserved judgement in the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) case against the SABC.
The DA laid a complaint against the broadcaster about a pre-packaged video of President Cyril Ramaphosa aired on several of its TV stations.
In the video Ramaphosa addresses the nation in his capacity as African National Congress (ANC) President and not as President of South Africa.
The DA is requesting an equal opportunity to address the nation on the public broadcaster’s channels.
The SABC says their reporting was balanced and that they gave the DA opportunity to respond to the ANC’s video on Morning Live the next day. The DA maintains this is not sufficient.
The party says clause 13 of the Broadcasting Code of Conduct states opposing views must be aired on the same programme, in a similar timeslot, and awarded the same prominence.
Despite the fact that DA spokesperson Portia Adams was featured on a show with a much higher viewership, the party says the SABC did not adhere to the code.
They say Adam’s message was delivered telephonically, on live TV with distracting and random visuals being shown, and that sound quality was poor, while President Ramaphosa’s message was pre-recorded and he was the sole focus.
Adams was given just one minute 40 seconds of airtime, while the ANC delivered its message for nearly seven minutes. The BCCSA is expected to rule on this case within the next three weeks.
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