SABC board chair Bongumusa Makhathini has for the first time responded to allegations of editorial interference levelled against him and the public broadcaster’s CEO, saying the accusations are hugely damaging for the organisation which was once crippled by political meddling.
In an affidavit to the special committee of the board set up to look into the allegations of editorial interference brought by axed head of news Phathiswa Magopeni, Makhathini denies he tried to pressure or bully the former news executive to schedule an interview with President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the local government elections in 2021.
“That this dispute has arisen now, and the way Magopeni has pursued it, is not only regrettable and deeply unfortunate, but has been hugely damaging to the SABC, the office that I occupy and my own reputation,” Makhathini says.
The issue is proving to be a headache and distraction for the SABC board at a time when the public broadcaster — the main source of news and commentary for many locals, especially in far-flung areas — is beginning to show signs of recovery, after years of acute management failures and political interference that left it broke and reliant on government bailouts to stay afloat.
Magopeni was dismissed last week after a disciplinary hearing in December found her guilty of misconduct for failing to prevent the broadcast of an interdicted episode of the investigative news programme Special Assignment. The disciplinary hearing recommended a warning. However, the SABC took the drastic step of firing her, citing “a breakdown in the trust relationship between employer and employee”.
Speculation is rife that she was fired for standing firm against the ANC’s demands for favourable coverage after the governing party blamed the public broadcaster for its poor showing in last year’s local government elections.
Before the disciplinary hearing began Magopeni submitted a grievance letter to the board accusing Makhathini and the broadcaster’s CEO, Madoda Mxakwe, of editorial interference and abuse of power. She alleged that Makhathini and Mxakwe tried to force her to approve an unscheduled interview with Ramaphosa ahead of the local government elections.
She claimed her refusal to schedule the interview could explain the move to fire her. Subsequently, the public broadcaster established a special committee to look into the interference allegations.
In his affidavit, which was made public on Thursday, Makhathini said he had a close but professional relationship with Magopeni, but all this changed after she faced misconduct charges. He said Magopeni was attempting to avoid taking responsibility after the violation of the court interdict.
“The timing of her grievance alone is telling. [Her] assumptions are devoid of any factual basis, are unsubstantiated and are denied,” Makhathini said.
On the allegations around the proposed interview with Ramaphosa, Makhathini said these should be viewed in the context of Magopeni’s previous complaints during meetings that the president never availed himself for one-on-one exclusive interviews with the SABC.
Makhathini detailed interactions Mxakwe had with the ANC’s communications team about interviewing Ramaphosa which the CEO referred to Magopeni as editor-in-chief. The ANC subsequently offered an interview with Ramaphosa at the station of a rival broadcaster in Limpopo. Magopeni refused to schedule the interview for various procedural and operational reasons, Makhathini said.
“Mxakwe indicated to me that given Magopeni’s long-standing wish to secure the president on an SABC platform, he was confused as to why Magopeni was not prepared to take up the opportunity. He did not wish to interfere with her editorial independence, but questioned the decision... and thought it best to refer the issue to me as chairperson of the board.
“Bearing in mind the long-standing request to interview the president, I was also somewhat perplexed by Magopeni’s decision. It was entirely within that context that I contacted Magopeni on October 24 2021.”
Makhathini said during a telephonic conversation, he engaged Magopeni on her decision.
“She explained that it would be an irregularity under the editorial policy to grant the interview, and that in any event, the SABC, due to its far-reaching commitments to the local elections did not have the resources to conduct the interview in Polokwane at such short notice. I asked her if she was declining the opportunity to interview the president just because he had not honoured the SABC’s previous requests to interview him before.
“Her response was that as SABC News they do not do interviews that are not requested by SABC News. She further added if SABC News agreed to interview the president she would ‘be audited by Icasa [the communications regulator] and be forced to interview all other political leaders’.”
Makhathini said he did not threaten her independence and was “simply trying to understand her rationale”.
“When she insisted that she stood by her decision, I accepted that, and then communicated accordingly to avoid what appeared to me to be a looming incident which would cause embarrassment to the SABC and the president, who was on his way to the SABC offices in Polokwane. There is nothing sinister in this. I at all times acted in the best interest of the SABC,” he said.
Makhathini highlighted the board’s efforts to stabilise the broadcaster.
“It is well known and broadly accepted that at the time of my appointment I inherited an organisation which not only lacked integrity as the public broadcaster due to persistent political interference and serious questions about the organisation’s editorial independence, but also an organisation in financial crisis, because of many years of failures in governance, maladministration and poor decision making.
“During my tenure, I have committed myself and the board to rectifying these issues, chief among these the issue of editorial independence and the freedom of the media,” Makhathini said.
Mxakwe has also dismissed the accusations against him, stating that the timing of Magopeni’s grievance, “dated 29 November 2021, is significant as her allegations come after I had initiated a formal disciplinary process on the 25th of November 2021, to hold her accountable for her role in the SABC breaching a court order after the broadcast of an interdicted Special Assignment report”.
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