ENCA fires Kanthan Pillay over ‘rat’ tweet

The head of news at eNCA, Kanthan Pillay, has been fired.

In a statement on Friday, the news channel said that it had terminated its relationship with Pillay with “immediate effect”.

Pillay courted controversy after tweeting this week that a reporter who had resigned was a “rat” jumping to a sinking ship. The reporter, Samkele Maseko, resigned to reportedly take up a position at the SABC.

In a statement issued on Friday, eNCA said it had “no choice” but to part ways with Pillay.

“After intense overnight investigation and consultation, the channel decided it had no alternative but to end its relationship with him.

“Although he was acting in an individual capacity and his posting was unsolicited, he was nonetheless a senior member of staff and the channel believes there was no room for any other outcome and that damage control was imperative,” eNCA said.