SACP STATEMENT ON SANEF COMMENTS
The SACP has noted the on-going debate on media ownership precipitated by the announcement that Sekunjalo Consortium will buy the struggling Independent News. Of particular interest to us as the SACP is voice and role of SANEF this debate.
The SACP holds no brief for Sekunjalo and we will continue engaging them like we have engaged and criticized commercial interests and their impact on quality journalism, but the double standards and hypocrisy of SANEF cannot go unchallenged.
The response by SANEF must be strongly condemned as it is completely outrageous, selective and with disturbing racial, if not racist, undertones. Where was SANEF when journalists were butchered and black editors were fired at Times Media by the owners? Nowhere to be found and they kept a loud silence.
E-TV/e-news is experiencing an unprecedented exodus of reporters and editors; most of them black, and SANEF is completely silent, not even a word to challenge the owners.
Where is the voice of SANEF to challenge the media empire of Naspers and its uncompetitive cross ownership of media outlets, including its anti-competitive conduct in so far as a satellite television is concerned? SANEF is conspicuous by its silence.