ANC YOUTH LEAGUE IS FULLY IN SUPPORT OF THE MEDIA TRIBUNAL AND REJECTS CLAIMS OF THE PRESS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA:
04 August 2010
The African National Congress Youth League (ANC YL) is totally in support of the establishment of a Media Tribunal which will adjudicate over wrong reporting by all media and ensure that they are taken to task for falsifying stories, sensationalism and spreading lies that seek to undermine the integrity of individuals and organisations. The establishment of a Media Tribunal is long overdue and has allowed imposters in media, masquerading as Journalists/Editors to undermine the integrity of our organisations and spread lies about their leadership. A tougher institution in the form of a Media Tribunal, which will also investigate Journalists dodgy financial interests and conflict of interests, should be established to safeguard South Africa's democracy. The fact that the ANC Youth League did not continue speaking about dodgy financial interests of Journalists does not mean that such practices have come to an end.
In its official response, the Press Council of South Africa says, "Some of the ANC's ministers and leading personalities -- including ANC Youth League President Julius Malema, the league's spokesman Floyd Shivambu, Kwa-Zulu Natal Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize, and ANC Treasurer-General Dr Mathews Phosa, - are using the Press Ombudsman to voice their complaints and at least one former minister, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi (Public Service and Administration), expressed her entire satisfaction with the manner in which her complaint had been dealt with". The ANC Youth League rejects this notion because in all our previous attempts to write to the Ombudsman, we either did not receive any response or received lame responses three months after the false reporting. To this day, the ANC Youth League is still waiting for Press Ombudsman's response on matters we reported more than 6 months ago.
The Press Ombudsman is a useless association of Newspapers whose sole responsibility is to protect spiteful and dodgy newspapers, some of which have spiteful agendas to undermine the integrity of our organisations and leadership. The other Media institutions and organisations such as SANEF and Press Council of South Africa are equally useless in media monitoring and evaluation. This therefore calls for an immediate establishment of a Media Tribunal to save our organisations and leadership from repeated attempts to assassinate their characters and sow divisions. The Media Tribunal should then begin with investigating Newspapers such as the City Press, Mail & Guardian, The Citizen, Sunday Times, The Times, most Afrikaans Newspapers (Die Burger & Rapport) and all Independent Group Newspapers to expose their ill-intentions and programme to sow divisions in the ANC and undermine its integrity. Some of the owners and directors of these Newspapers are active funders and leaders of opposition parties and this explains why the ANC and all its structures are under constant attack.
The ANC Youth League is also aware that in some instances, some Journalists' names are used by these Newspapers to write drivel about the ANC Youth League and its leadership. A City Press Journalist has previously admitted to the ANC YL that the story that appeared under his name linking the ANC YL to what the Newspaper claimed are dodgy tenders was not written by him, despite the fact that it appeared under his name. This proves that there is a far much bigger agenda to undermine the integrity of the ANC Youth League and these media people do not account anywhere because the Ombudsman is their colleague and partner is assassinating organisational and individual's characters.
The ANC government should immediately put systems in place to establish the Media Tribunal because the 52nd National Conference of the ANC resolved that such a tribunal should be established. There is no need for the National General Council of the ANC to discuss the establishment of the Media Tribunal, because the 52nd National Conference resolved it should be established. What the NGC should receive is a comprehensive report as to when the Media Tribunal should begin its operations, because some imposters in the media continue to undermine media freedom by spreading lies.
The ANC Youth League is aware that it is not all media that is guilty of violations. There are honourable media houses, institutions and individuals and those we will continue to protect. The ones opposed to Media Tribunal are the ones who are in most instances guilty of abusing media freedom and taking advantage of the absence of a regulatory and monitoring institution in the media.
Statement issued by Floyd Shivambu, ANC Youth League Spokesperson, August 4 2010
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