Motsoeneng told SABC to give EFF “limited coverage” only
Jimi Matthews, whose recent resignation as CEO of the SABC on account of his principles, has said that the broadcaster’s COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng gave specific instructions to throttle the EFF’s exposure wherever possible.
In his resignation – which he shared on Twitter – Matthews said he could no longer work at the SABC as its Motsoeneng had created an environment of censorship and ‘political pandering’, which led to some journalists losing their jobs.
Speaking to Eusebius McKaiser for eNCA, Matthews said Motsoeneg had given instructions to sideline the EFF and some “individuals within the ANC.”
“When Julius Malema started becoming a nuisance in the Youth League and when the EFF was launched and a decision that it would not be a good idea to cover Malema and his cohorts,” Matthews said.
“It was my decision…it was bigger than me. It was agreeing with the views expressed both inside the SABC and by individuals outside the SABC.”
“Certain individuals in the ruling party including people like Hlaudi were of the view that we should not be giving Julius and his crowd coverage, which is an example where I should have said no, that was ridiculous.”
