Text of the letter from e.tv Chief Operating Officer Bronwyn Keene-Young to staff  explaining her reasons for resigning her position, October 29 2014:

Dear all,

I never thought the day would come when I would be writing this letter to you. Like most of you, I see the e-family as an extension of my own family and I saw myself working in this company until I retired. I have spent the best part of my working life at this company and have been here for 15 years, ten of which have been as Chief Operating Officer.

In due course, I will write you all a more personal account of the wonderful memories of what we have achieved over the years.

Right now, for the sake of the truth and the legacy of this company which we have all built together, I believe it is important to address some aspects of the sickeningly defamatory letter distributed to you by John Copelyn yesterday.

Copelyn misrepresents the facts relating to Marcel's removal, perhaps in the vain hope that you will be taken in by his eloquent sentences set out on a Sabido letterhead.

Copelyn forgets that Marcel took over this company when it was virtually bankrupt and turned it into the highly successful media house it is today. He doesn't understand that it is Marcel's vision which has driven us to the success we enjoy today and he believes that he can destroy Marcel's legacy with a four page letter which is designed to make you think less of Marcel.

Copelyn is silent on how he has attempted to manipulate this company from behind the scenes.

He fails to tell to that earlier this year, when I resisted editorial instructions from Yunis Shaik, he (Copelyn) sought my removal from the company. After pushback from our exco, he agreed to let me stay on provided that I was sidelined into a new position in which news no longer reported to me.

Copelyn doesn't tell you that he has told our exco that eNCA's news coverage is "problematic" for HCI's other interests and that our news had to be reined in so that it didn't affect HCI's ability to source gambling licences from government.

Copelyn doesn't tell you that he told me that the line of editorial independence was not one for the news editorial team to determine and nor was it for Sabido management to determine. That line would be determined by HCI.

Copelyn doesn't tell you that he was fully aware of the "Ellies shares" matter from early August and that he did nothing about it until early October until all other attempts and threats to get Marcel to resign had failed. He doesn't tell you that throughout this period, each time Marcel refused to acquiesce to Copelyn's demands and "go quietly", that Marcel was threatened with disciplinary action on the Ellies matter.

He doesn't tell you that only in early October - a full two months after Copelyn had become aware of the details of the Ellies matter - did he raise this as a disciplinary issue with Marcel and all of a sudden the Ellies issue became serious enough for HCI to suspend Marcel for "gross misconduct" and for Copelyn to lock Marcel out of his office.

In his letter, Copelyn has gone to great lengths to misrepresent the facts and to hide his own unacceptable behavior in this entire matter. He does not understand this company, its people, and its DNA, and he never will. He does not understand the depth of love and loyalty which staff have to a CEO who has carried them for 15 years from virtual bankruptcy to great success.

I feel terrible that I am leaving you all at this time. If I did not have my own children, I would stay to fight tooth and nail to try to preserve the legacy which Marcel has built with all of us. But I just cannot sacrifice my young family to do this.

I care very much for you all - and I hope that, when times are less emotional, I will be able to talk to as many of you as possible. No-one can take away from you your part in building this great legacy and you will carry that with you wherever you go.

Lots of love

Bronwyn

Source: www.biznews.com

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