The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has rejected the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) burning flag TV advert.
The SABC wrote to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), informing it that the public broadcaster would not flight the ad.
“The SABC has been monitoring the outcry from South Africans of all races condemning the advertisement which is currently in circulation on various media platforms. Likewise, the SABC believes that the advertisement encourages damage of treasured national symbols,”
The national flag is a national symbol which represents diverse elements of the country and national unity. Additionally, it is expected that the national flag should be accorded with dignity and respect. Thus, the flag is not a representation of a political party but the nation at large,” reads the letter.
“The SABC, as a public broadcaster, is mandated to promote nation-building through its services and the said political advertisement goes against the spirit of nation-building.
“The SABC has also noted that some of the words used in the advertisement in question are subject to a formal complaint lodged with Icasa against the SABC. Therefore allowing this advertisement to be broadcast will be prejudicial to the SABC.”
Meanwhile the leader of the Democratic Alliance has accused the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) of censorship.
The Democratic Alliance says it will be taking legal action against the SABC’s decision to not broadcast its “burning flag” advert unless the party amends it.
Steenhuisen told supporters in Soweto on Thursday that the party’s legal team will challenge the decision.
“They are actively preventing the people of South Africa from seeing the truth about how the ANC has set our country on fire.
“This blatant act of censorship is an unprecedented assault on our democracy, less than three weeks before an election where the ANC is set to lose for the first time.
“The DA has already briefed our legal team to urgently challenge this treasonous act by the deployed ANC cadres inside the SABC.
“This attack on free speech and suppression of the opposition only confirms the urgency of the DA’s warning contained in the ad,” said Steenhuisen.