A soap opera unfolds at the SABC

SBoy, am I glad I don’t work at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) at the moment! It’s been a week of drama. First the CEO, Dali Mpofu announced he was suspending the head of news, Snuki Sikalala. Then the next day we woke up to the news that the Board had suspended the CEO.

All of this, in turn, comes after Parliament’s Communications Committee passed a motion of no confidence in the SABC board last week!
(http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20080501063442739C583465)

Many commentators have been saying that this is part of the battle between the Mbeki and Zuma factions in the ANC. So, it goes like this:  Snuki Zikalala is known as an Mbeki man, and he was suspended by Mpofu, who perhaps used to be an Mbeki man but is now apparently in the Zuma camp. Mpofu was then suspended by the Board, which is believed to be loaded with Mbeki supporters, and the board has been censured by the Parliamentary committee, which is full of Zuma’s people.

It’s rather like one of the SABCs own very popular soap operas. The only difference is that any scriptwriter who dared come up with such a plot would be fired for being too far fetched!

The tragedy is that no matter who wins in the end, it can no longer be denied that the SABCs independence as an institution has been seriously compromised.

But the SABC is a strange animal. Most of this news, as it was unfolding, came from the SABC itself. I listened open-mouthed in my car yesterday as SABC’s current affairs teams brought us blow-by-blow commentary. In radio, in particular, the current affairs teams of serving the various stations enjoy a fair deal of autonomy and while the SABC as a whole is in a sad state, it must be said that there are still many good, dedicated journalists there, with integrity, who are doing their best in the circumstances.

But of course turmoil like this is bad for morale. I know – I worked at the SABC for most of the 90s, and from about 1993 the organisation has been pretty much in permanent transition. The SABC has seen some of the most talented and dedicated journalists in SA pass through its doors, only to leave again when they could no longer stand the constant politicking and upheaval. I shouldn’t be surprised to see a new wave of good people leaving in the wake of this latest debacle.

Meanwhile, there is another point to be made from all of this, which is that we are seeing an increasing number of top officials sitting in limbo, as they wait out sometimes indefinite suspensions — as The Citizen newspaper has pointed out (www.google.com/calendar/render?tab=mc): “Other notables who find themselves in limbo are National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi and National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli. Then there’s the famous safe driver, Ekurhuleni Metro Police Chief Robert McBride, who’s not officially suspended although he’s not supposed to be at work.”

In my head I keep hearing the voices of Zimbabwean colleagues and friends, who have told me many times: “we see the warning signs that your democracy is in danger — it starts slowly. Watch out.” I wonder what they are thinking as they observe the latest events unfolding. I’m too scared to ask.

This post first appeared on the Citizen Journalism in Africa portal – www.citizenjournalismafrica.org

We ignorant South Africans

The past few months I’ve had the privilege of traveling to a number of countries in southern Africa. I’ve always traveled for work, but recently it’s become a lot more intense. It has its drawbacks — I find I get very angry very quickly at airport delays, and miss my home and loved ones. But it’s also stimulating and very educational.

The thing about travel is that it educates you twice. When you visit a new country you learn a lot about that place, meet interesting people and view the world from a new perspective. And then when you return home you see the familiar with new eyes and with the benefit of richer insight.

One thing I’ve known for a long time, but which I’m made more and more aware of all the time, is how much more Malawians and Zambians and Tanzanians and almost everybody knows about South Africa, than South Africans know about Zambia or Tanzania or Malawi or just about any other country on our continent. I can have detailed conversations in Lilongwe or Maputo or Lusaka about Thabo Mbeki and his policies, and even about his presumed successor, Jacob Zuma. Yet back home, many people would be hard-pressed to even name the president of most neighbouring countries, let alone would-be successors or opposition figures.

A large part of the problem is the South African media. With one or two exceptions, most SA news media behave as if Africa didn’t exist north of the Zambezi (Zimbabwe is the one place that does get a lot of attention). Sometimes it seems the only reason for the occasional mention of other places is that Bafana Bafana happens to be playing a game there. Those who want to stay informed about the continent, have to actively look for information online.

Recently some Friends were going on about Americans and how ignorant they are, how they think Africa is a country instead of a continent. I decided to point out that we South Africans aren’t much better. Show them a map of Africa and see how many can find Chad, Nigeria or even the DRC? Well, I wasn’t very popular.

Another thing I’m constantly made aware of, is that South Africans are seen as very violent, and SA is known for its crime and corruption. I get a bit nervous traveling to a new place — is it safe, will I get through passport control OK, and all of the other things one worries about. But my mild butterflies are nothing compared to the trepidation visitors from other countries must feel when approaching a South African border post. Will they be harassed by corrupt cops, will they be robbed or attacked? Will their luggage be stolen at OR Tambo international?

Someone on the plane recently told me he works in South Africa but misses his family who are back home. “Can’t you bring your family over?” I asked him. “I could”, he replied, “but SA is no place to raise a family”. A sobering thought.

I was left with some more food for thought when some Malawians told me recently they they are worried that South Africa will give the entire continent a bad name when we host the 2010 World Cup. “What if one of the star players is attacked and even killed?”, said one, “how will Africa look then, in the eyes of the world?” I don’t think South Africans fully realise the huge responsibility we have not only to our own country, but to the entire continent, to ensure that 2010 is a success.