Much dust has been kicked up over the MultiChoice agreements with the SABC and the Guptas’ ANN7 television news channel. These parties allegedly colluded in a form of state capture and corruption to their mutual benefit. The payoff for MultiChoice was that the government’s digital migration policy on encryption was fixed around their position, while the SABC and ANN7 had their 24-hour news channels funded and carried on MultiChoice’s DStv platform. But this explanation is not the whole story. Let’s assume former president Jacob Zuma wanted to control all electronic broadcast news in SA. In 2013, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, then acting SABC chief operating officer, said that SABC news had to have at least 70% good-news stories. Then talk-show anchor Jimmy Manyi was promoting "sunshine" news on ANN7. Zuma’s allies at the state broadcaster — Ben Ngubane and Motsoeneng — facilitated access to the SABC for the New Age newspaper’s breakfasts, hosted by the Guptas, which promoted the views of cabin...
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.