The African National Congress (ANC) in Nkangala is appalled at what they termed a racist behaviour allegedly displayed by eNCA news journalist, Lindsay Dentlinger.
A short video, circulated on social media, depicts Dentlinger interviewing white Members of Parliament (MPs) who did not wear a mask while demanding black MPs to put on their masks. The incident which caused a nationwide outrage took place after President Cyril Ramaphosa had delivered a State of the Nation Address (Sona) on 28 February.
“It is an insult to all black people,” the party said in a memorandum. “It is consistent with the white supremacist mentality that has historically associated black people with disease and dirt.” The party staged pickets at Magistrate’s Courts in all six municipalities of Nkangala district. “We want to send a clear message to her and her managers that Covid-19 is not a black pandemic,” eMalahleni Mayor Cllr Linah Malatjie told the paper outside Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
“The fact that there is a formal apology up to now, simply means they do not see anything wrong with what has happened,” she said. They also read a memorandum which stated that the ANC will submit a formal complaint to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission and the SA Human Rights Commission. “In addition, we urge ICASA to investigate whether eNCA’s conduct is not inconsistent with its licence conditions,” said the memorandum.
“While we note the remarks by SANEF on Friday condemning eNCA, we challenge SANEF and other media houses to take a clear stand against eNCA on this matter. SANEF needs to be consistent and vocal against racism in the media,” continued the memorandum.
The party has given eNCA 14 days to respond to the following demands:
- eNCA must withdraw the offensive statement in which they defended Dentlinger
- eNCA to send an unconditional apology to all South Africans for the pain and hurt that Dentlinger and eNCA have caused
- Enca to send its journalists and management to human rights training to learn the values of equality and non-racialism
- eNCA must publicly acknowledge its history of mistreating its black journalists, some of whom have been forced out by the racially intolerable conditions at eNCA.
- eNCA to issue an unambiguous commitment that it will no longer tolerate racism within its ranks and to do something practical that will demonstrate genuine remorse on its part.
The leadership and journalists of eNCA to engage in a process of thorough soul-searching and to confront their own racism and racial prejudice.
