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Cape Town – The SABC on Wednesday afternoon threw its own SABC TV News anchor on SABC2 and RSG presenter, Ivor Price, out the building for expressing his opinion after saying the controversial SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s "poisonous tentacles have infected the entire SABC".
Price, the well-liked and respected anchor of the Afrikaans TV news bulletin on SABC2 and presenter on RSG, on Tuesday revealed that he resigned.
Price made the revelation shortly after the crisis-riddled public broadcaster fired 8 of its suspended reporters who’ve voiced opposition for Motsoeneng’s 26 May diktat to censor SABC TV News’ visuals of public protests.
Netwerk24 on Wednesday afternoon first reported that Price was summoned earlier this afternoon to a SABC human resources manager’s office and told in no uncertain terms that his time at the SABC is over and that he needs to leave immediately.
Price was supposed to work at the SABC until 5 August. According to Netwerk24, the SABC told Price that he will be taken off air immediately and that his RSG presenting on Wednesday was his last.
In his open letter, Price wrote that he can’t remain silent any longer and that "even if Hlaudi Motsoeneng resigns tomorrow or is fired, it will take long before good journalists will get over the debilitating fear".
Amnesty International: Sinister ploy to entrench fear
Amnesty International in a strongly-worded statement said firing the 8 SABC journalists is "a cynical and sinister ploy to entrench fear".
"The dismissal of eight SABC journalists following their suspension over their questioning of editorial decisions by the broadcaster's executives is a cynical and sinister decision designed to entrench a climate of fear at the institution‚" said Muleya Mwananyanda‚ Amnesty International's deputy director for Southern Africa.
"Their dismissals will only serve to undermine journalistic and media freedoms at the SABC. The eight journalists must be re-instated immediately".
