What’s behind SABC news glitch?

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By Editorial staff

Journalist


SABC2’s weekend glitch left Afrikaans news viewers in the dark, prompting outrage and talk of political interference or just plain incompetence.


We would love to know exactly what “technical issues” caused the cancellation of the Afrikaans news on SABC2 over the weekend.

Surely someone must have noticed the presenters and journalists sitting around in the studio and wondered what they were doing there?

It’s easy, in this current atmosphere of allegations of a “persecution” of Afrikaners, to suspect that some SABC apparatchik loyal to the ANC had decided to pull the plug for good.

SABC swears this was not the case – and given that it is also riddled with cadre deployees from the ANC who are not known for their competence, it is also easy to suspect it may have just been plain stupidity or laziness.

ALSO READ: SABC addresses Afrikaans news bulletin scheduling blunder

One hopes US President Donald Trump hasn’t heard of this, otherwise he might send the Sixth Fleet to anchor off Cape Town and we’ll see cruise missiles coming over the horizon.

Also, it was ironic to see the protests from people who have claimed for years that they don’t watch SABC because it is “ANC propaganda”.

However, the incident and outcry are a reminder to the ruling elite that all languages are guaranteed equal treatment by our constitution and, last time we looked, that obligation also falls on the state broadcaster.

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