• COMMUNIQUÉ Date: May 23, 2008 Person/institutions: Media Violation/issue: Other The Deputy President of the ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) party, Kgalema Motlanthe (now President), says the South African media lacks diversity. Addressing journalists at a Media Forum in Johannesburg on May 22, 2008, Motlanthe says news is being homogenised. “We have observed that rather than becoming more diverse, the local and global media terrain is becoming less so,” said Motlanthe. He bemoaned what he called the commercialisation of media outlets and that the democratising role of the media is yet to be realised. Motlanthe added that as part of a corrective measure the ANC agreed at its Polokwane conference in 2007 to increase funding to the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA). The MDDA’s objective is to “help historically disadvantaged communities and persons gain access to the media”. • ALERT Date: June 16, 2008 Institutions: SABC Violation/issue: Other The head of content enterprise at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Gab Mampone, has once again been appointed acting group CEO, the broadcaster reported on June 14. The appointment of an acting CEO comes hard on the heels of the second suspension of SABC CEO Dali Mpofu by the board. Mpofu was suspended by the board for the second time on June 12. Mpofu was first suspended on May 7, a day after he suspended his news chief, Snuki Zikalala, who was accused of leaking a memorandum on Mpofu’s alleged bad management of the SABC. Mpofu challenged his suspension and the Johannesburg High Court ruled in his favour. The court ruled that the meeting where the suspension was decided did not follow the correct legal procedures, including giving reasonable notice of the board meeting to all relevant parties. • ALERT Date: August 21, 2008 Institutions: SABC Violation/issue: Other The board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) released a statement on August 19 announcing that suspended SABC Head of News Snuki Zikalala has been cleared of all charges of misconduct against him. SABC Group CEO Dali Mpofu suspended Zikalala on May 6. Mpofu suspended Zikalala for allegedly leaking the corporation’s confidential documents and an internal memorandum. • ALERT Date: September 21, 2008 Institutions: Grocott’s Mail newspaper Violation/issue: Threatened/ Banned In September 2008, Grahamstown community newspaper, Grocott’s Mail, won its case against the Grahamstown Council, which in May 2007 banned all advertising in the newspaper. The municipality issued an internal instruction, leaked to Grocott’s, that the paper would no longer be the “service provider” for municipal advertising. The step was punishment for Grocott’s having run stories that the municipality deemed too critical about local governance finances. The newspaper’s chairperson, Professor Guy Berger, said the move by council was politically driven, misguided and illegal. Efforts to talk the matter over failed as the municipality stuck to its guns. With support from MISA’s Legal Defence Fund, the newspapers challenged this ban resulting in the municipality yielding. In a signed settlement, the council agreed to resume So This Is Democracy? 2008 -87- Media Institute of Southern Africa