Ostracism

The public broadcaster (SABC) has been using “analysts” as a way of fixing the meaning of what they report in the news within a controlled range of interpretations. A reporter relates the facts, and then the snobby anchorperson immediately turns to the pompous “analyst” to voice out the previously-approved meaning of the event. All three types of people (reporters, anchors and analysts) co-ordinate their presentation to give an impression to the viewer or listener that theirs is the only possible or at least the only reasonable way of understanding the political matter in question. It is safe to assume that Communist University students are wise to the way the news is spun on the SABC in this way. The e-TV News is practically the same. If anything it is even more patronising than the SABC, and that is normal. The capitalist commercial media might feel obliged to match the standard of the public broadcaster, but they are not likely to exceed it. Now Snuki Zikalala, the manager of SABC news, has managed to destroy the whole carefully-constructed illusion at one stroke. By black-listing Vukani Mde, Karima Brown, William Gumede, and Aubrey Matshiqi (see linked Sowetan article) he has blown the whole game right open. All “analysts” have now crudely been given notice that if they say anything Zikalala’s goons don’t like, that is the last time they will be welcome on SABC. What is more, all the viewers and listeners will also know that the previously tacit system is now explicit and blatant, or as the US Imperialists have it: “in your face”. This is a very shocking situation. So long as Snuki Zikalala is in post, there can be no more credibility where the public broadcaster is concerned. It is hard to see how Dali Mpofu can stay on, either. Or rather, they can stay, but the SABC is not likely to be taken seriously until they have both gone, and the news service reconstructed in a way that restores some trust. This is not a reversible situation. The set-up will have to change radically. The snooty “celebrity” anchor people will have to go. The whole idea of pre-cooking the news has to go. Real people have to take over and bring the content to us fresh and raw. People, that is, who refrain from using verbal and grammatical tricks. The most believable people now are four: Mde, Brown, Gumede and Matshiqi. More names have been added to the list (which is rapidly becoming a roll of honour) such as Vuyo Mvoko, Xolela Mangcu, Sipho Seepe, Moeletsi Mbeki and Zehir Omar. Those still appearing on SABC now have to carry the stigma of being Zikalala’s stooges, whether they are or not. This is the unintended but inevitable consequence of black-listing. Of course we do not need to exaggerate the politics of the ostracised ones. None of them are communists. The commies were frozen out long before. John Perlman on SAFM Morning Live this morning at about 07h15 rescued his own credibility to a large extent while interviewing the SABC management spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago. The latter, grasping at a newly-famous phrase for support, kept claiming that the bannings were “only a discussion document!” Perlman pressed on and eventually insisted that he knew from his experience that these bans are being applied already. Kganyago said: “Well, I am not in the News Room”, to which Perlman replied: “I am!” This is a crisis “of our young democracy”. It is one of those occasions when a previously deadening and meaningless cliché all of a sudden comes to life. Karl Marx had his own pet phrase for such moments: Hic Rhodus, hic salta! The Communist University has its own problems, courtesy of a Telkom ADSL line fault reported on Sunday and not yet fixed by today, Wednesday. CU has to go wireless. Telkom’s copper cables are not being properly cared for any more. If today’s edition reached you late, this is the reason why. Click on these links: SABC blacklists disloyal critics, Kingdom Mabuza, Sowetan (335 words)