By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The SABC has confirmed that members of the South African National Defence Force have been deployed at its offices in Auckland Park, Johannesburg and in Durban.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the deployment instruction was to place the officers at national key points such as at the SABC, airports, key Transnet buildings and other national key points.
“You will find them at any national key points such as airports and other key installations. They were deployed there on July 22 after the president made the announcement. The deployment is until October. It is only then that we will make a review about their deployment,” Dlamini said.
He was adamant that the deployment had nothing to do with predicted insurgents, but said it was purely to deal with the violent protests of last month.
SABC group executive: corporate affairs and marketing Gugu Ntuli confirmed the SANDF’s version, saying the presence of the army was to ensure physical security of the public service broadcaster’s premises and staff at most of its national key point premises around the country, including its headquarters in Auckland Park.
Yesterday, soldiers armed with rifles could be seen outside the SABC Henley Studio Park, while others patrolled outside.
According to Ntuli: “This deployment is in light of the recent unrest. As a national key point area, delivering an essential service to the nation, and considering the recent attacks on the SABC journalists, it was deemed necessary that the physical premises and the employees working in these offices be protected.
“The SABC dismisses, with the necessary contempt, the misleading and malicious allegations that there is an ulterior motive for the presence of the members of SANDF on its premises. In the exercise of their responsibilities, the members of the SANDF engage with the SABC’s internal security to familiarise themselves with some internal security processes and national key point activities, including News. At no point in time has and will the SANDF impact or get involved with operational matters of the SABC,” Ntuli said.
She added while the SABC has no evidence that any SANDF personnel were in the newsroom, the public broadcaster would like to make it clear that any presence by SANDF personnel in the newsroom would be unacceptable and not in line with the SABC’s public mandate and editorial policies.
Meanwhile the SABC has removed a clause in its employment contracts dealing with the corporation’s right to intercept, monitor and read any communications of employees.
The clause will not be applicable for all contracts, existing and new, the SABC said.
Expounding on its decision, the national broadcaster said: “While this is a standard clause that has been included in all employment contracts since 2008, it is not intended to violate the rights of journalists or their sources of information.
“Journalists and their sources of information are adequately protected by the SABC’s editorial policies of 2020.
“However, the SABC appreciates how this clause may be misunderstood and has therefore decided to remove it from all employment contracts with immediate effect.
“This will be effective for all new contracts and will be retrospectively implemented as well.”