Pretoria – Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has refuted a report in the Sunday Times that says the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) bowed to political pressure and pulled the plug on Clement Manyathela’s TV show “Face the Nation”.
The public broadcaster cancelled Face the Nation, the hard-hitting political talk show, with the programme ending this month after a two-year run.
In an early morning post on X, Magwenya said: “This is a complete lie. There was no political pressure on the SABC to cancel the show.
“@TheRealClementM and @SABCNews must come out and communicate the real reason for the cancellation of the show.”
Responding to an Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) query on the matter, Manyathela confirmed on X that the show was coming to an end and pointed to financial constraints as the reason.
Commenting on the matter, the SABC said, like any other broadcaster, it exercises its prerogative to change its programming, based on its operations and set guidelines.
“This is an industry and market standard that often takes place annually,” SABC explained.
“The changes to our programming are informed by our content delivery strategy and various factors relevant to the overall performance of the show in terms of its audience ratings and revenue performance, amongst others.”
The SABC said its programmes were not automatically re-commissioned, but follow a thorough review process.
“Face the Nation, like all our programmes, had specific performance targets which were communicated with all the relevant parties involved,” the broadcaster stated.
The SABC rejected suggestions that the programme was canned under pressure from the Presidency and the African National Congress because its content was allegedly deemed too critical.
“It is appalling that there are individuals who are now creating an impression that this specific programme is not recommissioned due to external influence,” the SABC stated.
The public broadcaster said SABC News has, over the years, built a strong and reputable brand, which is credible and anchored on its principles and values of impartiality and independence.
“Our editorial decisions are not influenced by any external stakeholder,” said the SABC.
However, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi said: “Any suggestion of political pressure on the SABC is deeply concerning.
“Editorial independence is sacrosanct and must be protected.
“I have written to the SABC Board Chairperson requesting a full report on the reasons for this decision.
“We must establish the facts to ensure this matter was handled fairly and without compromising the principles of robust journalism.”
