cians were interviewed and to demand that Thobela FM’s Willie Mosoma be removed from his post as current affairs presenter. Mokobi allegedly accused Mosoma of being biased against politicians from the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Representatives from the SABC’s Limpopo regional office have since met with the premier of Limpopo, and the meeting was seen as a positive step in improving relations. Speaking to MISA-South Africa, the SABC said it promised to monitor relations and gave assurances that its reporters would cover a wide range of stories in the province in accordance with accepted journalistic principles and the SABC editorial code. The Limpopo provincial government could not be reached for comment. · ALERT Date: January 12, 2005 Persons/Institutions: The Developer community newspaper Violation: Legislation A local community newspaper, “The Developer”, is facing a ZAR100 000 (approx. US$16,818) defamation suit from businessman Eric Chauke. Through his lawyers, Mdlalose Attorneys, Chauke is claiming “compensation for injury to his dignity, reputation and good name”. In its December 2004 issue, “The Developer”, a monthly publication based in Soweto, Johannesburg, published a report alleging that Chauke was arrested and appeared in court on allegations of stealing chickens. The report, whose source is an expelled member of a business association chaired by Chauke, details other allegations against the businessman, including the handpicking of the association’s executive members, lack of consultation in the pegging of membership fees and lack of transparency in the management of a newly-constructed vending shop in Kliptown. So This Is Democracy? 2005 -105- Media Institute of Southern Africa