EFF cautions the SABC against purchasing space at the ANC National Conference

9 November 2022

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) warns the South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC) against participating in the fundraising exercise of the ANC, by purchasing space to cover their upcoming national conference.

The desperate and financially-disorganised ruling party, has decided to turn an elective conference which is supposed to be representative of democracy and transparency, and easily observed by all those who vote for them, into a commercial opportunity to fix their financial woes.

The EFF however is not concerned about the degeneration of their conferences into a pay-to-view exercise, which represents the highest level of revolutionary decay. Our concern is that taxpayers money through the SABC must never be used to clandestinely fund the ANC.

All entities of the SABC, be it broadcast, radio or print media must not pay a single cent to attend and cover the ANC conference. Their financial demands to cover their elective conference must be categorised as greed and as tantamount to censorship, particularly for media houses which will not afford to buy space at the conference venue.

The EFF will closely monitor the SABC and engage the SABC on their intention to cover the ANC conference and whether any financial commitment has been made to do so in the immediate. Any such financial commitment must be reversed with immediate effect as the SABC and taxpayers money will not be used as an ANC slush fund to buy delegates.

The ANC is engaged in the highest form of capitalist exclusion in the media space, and their greed encroaches on media freedom and must be condemned with contempt. It is a shameful act which must be condemned by all media houses which have any respect for freedom of access to information.

Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 9 November 2022