POLITICS

SABC wants court procedure censored too – Solidarity

Movement says broadcaster refused request for direct recording and broadcasting of case

SABC wants court procedure censored too – Solidarity 

20 July 2016

Trade union Solidarity said today that the SABC was committed to apply even more censorship as the broadcaster refused a request for the direct recording and broadcasting of tomorrow’s Labour Court case.

Solidarity Deputy Chief Executive Johan Kruger said it was ironic that the SABC was still trying to enforce censorship. “Tomorrow’s court case is actually about SABC employees who spoke out against the censorship of news and who were then dismissed. It is, therefore, ironic that the SABC is still advocating this practice,” Kruger said.

The legal representatives of the applicants will now bring a formal application to court so that the court session could be broadcasted live. The outcome of this case is in the public interest and therefore we believe that the public has the right to be able to follow this case,” Kruger explained.

Tomorrow Solidarity will apply for an interdict on behalf of four of the SABC employees: Foeta Krige, Suna Venter, Krivani Pillay and Jacques Steenkamp. Solidarity will request that the decision to dismiss the journalists should be set aside and that the disciplinary process should be halted in its entirety.

Issued by Johan Kruger, Deputy Chief Executive, Solidarity, 20 July 2016