Pic: Twitter
Eight SABC journalists who are facing disciplinary action for daring to speak up against the public broadcaster’s controversial chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng have been awarded the Nat Nakasa award for their courage.
The award is presented annually by the South African Editors Forum (SANEF) to journalists in the broadcast‚ online or print media who show exceptional integrity and courage in their work.
It was presented to Jacques Steenkamp‚ Suna Venter‚ Foeta Krige‚ Krivani Pillay‚ Busisiwe Ntuli‚ Vuyo Mvoko‚ Lukhanyo Calata‚ Thandeka Gqubule at what was described in several reports as an emotional ceremony‚ with some of the recipients apparently in tears and carrying white balloons.
Krige and Mvoko were apparently unable to attend the ceremony.
The journalists are facing disciplinary hearings for speaking out against the SABC’s editorial policies. Motsoeneng recently sparked a huge public outcry by banning coverage of violent protests.
The controversial COO was in the spotlight again on Sunday when the Sunday Times reported that he pushed through a R167-million contract with a production company co-owned by President Jacob Zuma’s daughter Gugu Zuma-Ncube‚ going against the advice of a six-member review panel at the state broadcaster.
The public broadcaster’s CEO Jimi Matthews recently quit‚ saying the corrosive atmosphere at the SABC had impacted negatively on his moral judgement.
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