SABC excludes DA from election debate on land reform

The SABC has excluded the Democratic Alliance from participating in an election debate on land reform this evening, despite this being a national platform on which all political parties should be represented. This is particularly concerning given that the DA is the official opposition in South Africa.

The DA has raised its concerns about a number of questionable SABC decisions which seem to be politically motivated to censor opposition parties in favour of the ANC.

We are currently fighting the SABC's removal of our ‘Ayisafani' television commercial, as well as our radio adverts, from the airwaves. Today it emerged in the press that SABC journalists have been instructed not to show DA crowds at rallies, presumably because it wants to stop the public from seeing the scale and diversity of the DA's support.

The SABC has now excluded the DA from participating in a live debate on land reform - an issue we regard as of national importance. The DA has always held that a sustainable and efficient land reform programme is essential to address the legacy of apartheid which prevented black South Africans from owning 87% of this country's land.

We are well represented on the Turfloop University campus where the debate will be taking place today. The constitution gives every person the right to make free and informed political choices, which includes the right to participate in the political process. Our branch at Turfloop, together with our millions of supporters, have essentially been denied this right by not being given a voice in this debate of national importance.

The reality is that the ANC does not want to debate the DA on this issue because they know they have failed millions of South Africans with their ineffective land restitution policy, while the DA-led Western Cape government has delivered some of the most comprehensive land reform projects.

The SABC also informed us this week that we will be excluded from its live debates in the next two weeks as well. This unacceptable behaviour by the SABC seriously disadvantages the DA's election campaign.

South Africans need to be afforded the right to make an informed choice leading up to these watershed elections, this blatant censorship by the SABC and by extension the ANC, sets a dangerous precedent.

We are studying our options to determine the most appropriate course of action to fight what we see as the capture of the SABC for party political purposes.

Statement issued by Dr Wilmot James MP, Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance, April 13 2014

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