Afrikaans Radio bans Mulder participation
1 March 2016
The SABC’s Afrikaans radio station, Radio Sonder Grense, has banned Dr. Pieter Mulder, the leader of the Freedom Front Plus, to participate further on the Lynette Francis programme, Praat Saam. Dr. Mulder had from time to time phoned in and participated in the radio phone-in programme.
Dr. Mulder described this ban as blatant censorship, servitude of the public broadcaster to the ANC government and a contravention of the SABC’s editorial policy. Dr. Mulder will be raising the issue with the parliamentary portfolio committee on communication and will also submit a complaint against the SABC to the Independent Communication Association of South Africa (ICASA). According to Mulder, the SABC is contravening its license conditions as well as its editorial policy.
In a letter of the SABC, Dr. Mulder is informed that there is a request ‘from above’ that in light of the possible election, party political officials must no longer be accommodated in phone-in programmes.
Dr. Mulder said that without a comprehensive list of all political officials being available to every phone-in program in South Africa, such an instruction cannot be enforced.