News / Africa
SABC senior official suspended for giving Malema too much air time
11 Apr 2012 at 08:29hrs | Views
Johannesburg - The SABC has placed group chief executive of news, Phil Molefe, on special leave after apparently defying senior executives' orders to stop giving too much air time to Julius Malema, a report said on Wednesday.
Molefe allegedly refused to obey orders given to him by SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo and the acting chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, this week, The Star wrote.
The newspaper said that the root of the conflict was Molefe's decision to give full coverage to rallies addressed by the expelled ANC Youth League president.
The rallies were in Tzaneen and at Wits University - where Malema accused President Jacob Zuma of being a dictator.
Not enough Zuma coverage
A source told The Star that Mokhobo and Motsoeneng allegedly went to Molefe's office and demanded that he hand over his editorial diary to them.
Molefe allegedly refused to do so, saying it was against the public broadcaster's editorial policy.
The SABC CEO complained that President Jacob Zuma was not getting enough coverage on TV.
The two also complained about a one-on-one interview Malema had on TV which attracted the highest viewership of the SABC in the past four years.
This is the second time Molefe has been placed on special leave. He was initially placed on special leave in January, until March.
Molefe allegedly refused to obey orders given to him by SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo and the acting chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, this week, The Star wrote.
The newspaper said that the root of the conflict was Molefe's decision to give full coverage to rallies addressed by the expelled ANC Youth League president.
The rallies were in Tzaneen and at Wits University - where Malema accused President Jacob Zuma of being a dictator.
Not enough Zuma coverage
A source told The Star that Mokhobo and Motsoeneng allegedly went to Molefe's office and demanded that he hand over his editorial diary to them.
Molefe allegedly refused to do so, saying it was against the public broadcaster's editorial policy.
The SABC CEO complained that President Jacob Zuma was not getting enough coverage on TV.
The two also complained about a one-on-one interview Malema had on TV which attracted the highest viewership of the SABC in the past four years.
This is the second time Molefe has been placed on special leave. He was initially placed on special leave in January, until March.
Source - The Star
