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By ANA Reporter 
May 8, 2020
Cape Town – The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) said on Friday it was disturbed by the news channel eNCA’s decision to take two anchors off the air after they criticized the government’s change of direction by lifting the ban on the cigarette sale.
Xoli Mngambi and Jane Dutton suggested Monday that the government’s reversal signaled deep unease within the ANC, with ministers seeking to weaken President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Dutton said the president had been “emasculated” and the public “cheated” after Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma contradicted his public commitment to allow the resumption of cigarette sales under Level 4 of a confinement regime intended to contain Covid-19.
Mngambi said it was clear that ANC faction politics had played a role and that Ramaphosa would need to regain control, then asked, “But are you willing to do it?”
The two journalists jointly apologized Tuesday and described their previous comments as “an unfortunate trial call.”
Although eNCA has said the presenters were not suspended, they have been off the air since Wednesday morning.
Sanef said he would write to eNCA Acting Managing Director Norman Munzhelele to ask him to explain the decision to take Dutton and Mngambi off the air.
“We believe that news management should defend journalists and their freedom of expression,” he said.
Sanef said he was aware of a recent editorial directive for presenters and journalists at eNCA to provide more editorial comments on their work, and therefore it did not appear that Dutton and Mngambi were violating domestic policy when they made the controversial comments.
African News Agency / ANA
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