ANCYL Calling for Total Boycott of MEDIA24/NASPERS

We call, through unified support, for a total boycott of Media 24/Naspers, all their publications (newspapers and magazines) and other subsidiary media companies.

This conglomerated media company is being utilised as the media Arm of the Opposition. The head of the DA in parliament and federal Chairperson, Dr. Wilmot James, was also a Director of Media 24. Like the previous ‘Nasionale Party' government, this media company, then known as Nasionale Pers, was used to keep the apartheid government in charge. Their apartheid project failed! Now Naspers/Media24 is working hard to discredit the ANC and its leaders on a regular basis utilizing its dominance in the South African media environment.

For too long now Media24 has been used as a weapon to attack the ANC and its leaders on a daily basis.

On average, they attack the ANC-led government as well as ANC leaders 37 times per day through publications such as Beeld and City Press. They have their own news channels and their broadcast company DSTV airs their distorted views utilising programmes such as Carte Blanche (on M-Net) and Channel 111 on a weekly basis.

Incidentally, this is the same company that supplies our children with school books. This is done through publishing subsidiaries of Media 24 particularly Nasou Via Africa, Van Schaik and Paarl Media. We want to call on government and any other government-owned entities to review this position with urgency.

We will not tolerate this in our country as these companies are misleading and abusing their concentrated-ownership status of various media titles across different media platforms (including online) to mislead our people with their apartheid era media distortions and misrepresentation of issues.

We will boycott this multi billion rand company.

They cannot survive without the support of the people of this country; the very same people they are lying to.

We call upon the Government and its special investigating unit to investigate these companies, their actions as well as the benefits that this company has enjoyed as a result of their long time affiliation and partnership with the previous apartheid-era Government.

Forward to economic freedom in our life time! Amandla, the struggle continues.

Statement issued by ANC Youth League Limpopo, August 31 2011

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