YCL+open+letter+to+Dali+Mpofu+demanding+cancellation+of+Mbeki+interview



=**__YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SOUTH AFRICA__**=


 * To: Advocate Dali Mpofu**
 * Group Chief Executive, South African Broadcasting Corporation**
 * Auckland Park**
 * Johannesburg**
 * 2000**

04 December 2007


 * Dear Advocate Mpofu,**

The Young Communist League of South Africa [YCLSA] is writing to you pertaining the continued manipulation and usage of the SABC News Division for narrow, opportunistic and factional battles in the African National Congress [ANC] and the movement broadly.

We have learnt with shock that the SABC Radio will broadcast a live interview with President Thabo Mbeki, on Wednesday, 05 December 2007 from 19H00 – 21H00. We strongly believe that this is a blatant usage of the public broadcaster for narrow and opportunistic leadership contest within the ANC.

The justification is that President Mbeki will be addressing the nation in his capacity as President of the Republic. Clearly, this is a cover for him to have an opportunity, as Cabinet Ministers have had in the recent period, to convene activities under the guise of government work and use them to campaign for ANC leadership. The SABC has been supportive of this agenda.

As a political youth formation that plays an important role in the political discourse in the country, we do not believe that the SABC News Division is conducting itself in the manner that is consistent with the SABC's Editorial Code of Practice [ECP] and the ethos and values of our nascent constitutional democracy.

The SABC's Editorial Code of Practice demands the following;


 * [We] seek balance by presenting relevant views on matters of importance, as far as possible;
 * [We] foster open dialogue with our viewers and listeners, as we are accountable to the public for our reports;

As the YCL we are of the view that the SABC has undermined these above core values of its Editorial Code of Practice by according President Thabo Mbeki an exclusive interview for a period of two [2] hours.

The SABC is by now fully aware that President Mbeki is officially a candidate for President and that he is not the only candidate. Furthermore the YCL is unaware of any state event of such importance to warrant such coverage, hence our conclusion that this is nothing more than use of the SABC to promote particular ANC leaders at the expense of others. On these alone, the SABC has ceased to be a public broadcaster but a factional broadcaster.

We are further concerned particularly with the manner in which both Ms Sophie Mokoena and Dr Snuki Zikalala are running the SABC News as it relates to the forthcoming National Conference of the African National Congress [ANC]. The SABC News and TV news particularly have been relegated into a lobbing machinery or platform for certain ANC powerful leaders, and the manner in which the reporting of events and manipulation of the news coverage to favour certain powerful and factional individuals within the ANC and the State echelons is undesirable.

We wish to add that the same conduct has also characterised coverage of internal SACP and COSATU matters by the two individuals and especially SABC TV News.

We are of the view that these two senior employees of the SABC are compromising the integrity of the public broadcaster and they are part of a political faction that wants to see the election of President Mbeki as ANC President in December and thus abusing the SABC for that purpose.

We hereby demand an end to the abuse of the Public Broadcaster. The Young Communist League calls on you as the Editor in Chief to step in and restore the credibility of the SABC. We demand that this campaign interview be cancelled immediately.

If the SABC fails to answer our principle and genuine concerns it will reinforce our suspicions that the latter is being manipulated by the 'powers that be' to advance narrow and factional political leadership contest within the ANC.

Communist regards,

1 – 5 Leyds Street, COSATU House Braamfontein, 2000
 * Buti Manamela**
 * YCL National Secretary**

For information contact: Castro Ngobese [National Spokesperson]

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