ANTON HARBER: The closure of the Guptas’ ANN7 by MultiChoice should not be mourned
South Africans want independent journalism, which they didn’t get with ANN 7 — and MultiChoice’s monopoly in pay-TV doesn’t help
The closure of any media outlet is normally mourned by all journalists because of the loss of jobs, diversity and competition. But the announcement that South African pay-TV operator MultiChoice will not renew the contract of news channel ANN7 will be no great loss to the news media, or the public debate. It will, though, be a setback to the corrupt three-way state-capture conspiracy which brought together ANN7, MultiChoice and elements of the government, as exposed by the now notorious Gupta-leaks e-mails. The e-mails were leaked some months ago from inside the Gupta clan. The family has been at the centre of state-capture accusations in SA because of its extraordinary influence over President Jacob Zuma, his family and members of his Cabinet. The allegations of corruption have extended to MultiChoice. It stands accused of making multi-million rand payments to both ANN7 and the SABC to get their support for MultiChoice’s attempt to influence government policy on digitalisation. On ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.