Footage: Zwelinzima Vavi is calling for Hlaudi Motsoeneng to go. He says the ANC is supporting censorship and demands suspended journalists to be reinstated.

Footage: Some SABC staff are reportedly locked inside the building. Suspended journalists are currently in a disciplinary hearing.

Mmusi Maimane statement: STOP #SABCCencorship (28.06.2016)

In November last year, the SABC’s previous CEO, Frans Matlala, was erroneously suspended for acting in a manner “too independent” for Mr Motsoeneng and Minister of Propaganda, Faith Muthambi.

In March this year, the SABC cancelled senior political journalist Vuyo Mvoko’s show, On The Record, after he had planned to discuss state capture by the Guptas on a future instalment of his show.

In May this year, the SABC refused to air the DA’s election adverts, citing “delays in the IEC’s work with respect to the elections”.

In June this year, Hlaudi banned the reading of newspaper headlines on all SABC radio stations.

Also in June this year, The Editors – a very popular programme on SAFM on Sunday mornings where the political events of the week are critically analysed, debated and discussed by newspaper journalists and editors – was discontinued.

Just last week, Hlaudi Motsoeneng placed a ban of visuals of community protests involving the destruction of public property in Tshwane.

Fellow South Africans, our constitution protects freedom of the press and the free flow of information by stating that “everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press and other media, and freedom to receive or impart information or ideas”.

Nowhere in the Constitution does it say – “unless the President does not approve, or unless it paints the government and governing party in a bad light”.

Letter: Acting SABC CEO, Jimi Matthews has just resigned!

Footage: South Africa – This year’s election is the most important since the dawn of our democracy in 1994.

“This year’s election is the most important since the dawn of our democracy in 1994. On 3 August, South Africans face a choice: either more of the same broken promises and joblessness under the ANC; or real and positive change that will help move our country forward again” (Democratic Alliance, 26.06.2016).

“This year, on 3 August, South Africans face a choice:

5 more years of corruption, nepotism, joblessness and deteriorating service delivery; or CHANGE that will move South Africa forward again. This is the change that brings about job creation, delivers better services, and stops corruption. While we have made progress since 1994, the ANC has now put our country on the wrong path. We have the opportunity to change this – and ensure that we move in the right direction again. The direction that Nelson Mandela dreamed of” (Mmusi Maimane, 26.06.2016).

Unforgiving #SpyTapes judgement against Zuma and NPA (Youtube-Clip)

“Pretoria, 24 June 2016 – President Jacob Zuma has suffered another legal blow. Zuma and the NPA have been denied leave to appeal the so-called spy tapes ruling. eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer has more from the North Gauteng High Court” (eNCA, 2016)

Julius Malema: “Mmusi Maimane is a Puppet of Helen Zille” (Youtube-Clip)

#JobsForCash: SADTU corruption exposed… and hopefully expelled (Youtube-Clip)

“Mmusi discusses the #JobsForCash report, which details SADTU’s capture of education departments across 6 of the 9 provinces” (DA, 2016).

Press Statement: SABC says it will no longer broadcast public protests (27.05.2016)

The DA is in the process of considering its legal options following the announcement by the COO of the SABC, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, that the public broadcaster will no longer air footage of service delivery protests.

The reason Motsoeneng is allowed to make this absurd decision is as a result of the new SABC editorial policy approved in secret by Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi, and the SABC Board in February this year.

The policy gives total control of all the SABC’s programming and news content to the SABC COO who is also a political appointee.

Press Statement: Zuma Corruption Charges: NPA appeal a blatant delaying tactic to shield Zuma from his day in court (23.05.2016)

Today’s decision by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to apply for leave to appeal the Zuma Corruption Case (aka Spy Tapes) to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) is a blatant delaying tactic to shield Jacob Zuma from facing the 783 charges of corruption, fraud and racketeering levelled against him almost a decade ago.

The NPA waited until the 11th hour to announce its appeal – and in doing so effectively told the people of South Africa that more public money will fund the process to delay President Zuma from finally having his day in court.

The DA has long held that the decision taken by the then acting National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Mokotedi Mpshe, to discontinue the prosecution was irrational, unreasonable and made with an ulterior political motive.

This position was vindicated by the North Gauteng High Court’s full bench when it found that “the envisaged prosecution against Mr Zuma was not tainted by the allegations against Mr McCarthy. Mr Zuma should face the Charges as outlined in the indictment.”

This matter presented the incumbent NDPP, Adv Shaun Abrahams, with an opportunity to show his independence and proceed with this prosecution as planned, and give Jacob Zuma a court date.

Sadly, this opportunity was missed.

The reasons advanced by Adv. Abrahams – that he was acting in the best interests of prosecutorial independence – is a farce. Abrahams is preoccupied with protecting President Zuma at all costs – no matter what the implications are for the Constitution, the taxpayer or due process. That Adv. Abrahams failed to consult Billy Downer is inexplicable considering Downer knows the case best and is inextricably linked to the matter.

The matter is simple: President Zuma will eventually have his day in court, and justice will prevail, no matter how many tricks and delaying tactics are used by the state. The DA will not let this matter rest. President Zuma will face justice.