SABC pulls presenter off air after Ramphele Gaza-holocaust interview sparks backlash
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) announced that one of its news presenters was taken off air following backlash from a recent interview with Dr Mamphela Ramphele over the Palestinian genocide.
This stems from an incident between SABC journalist and news anchor Juliet Newell and anti-apartheid activist Ramphele.
During the exchange, Newell questioned Ramphele’s likening of images of starving Palestinians to the Holocaust, asking: “Do you not see this as provocative?”
“The Holocaust happened, and it will continue to happen in different forms…Do we have to wait for millions to die to call this what it is? If we wait for six million to die, then humanity has no right to call itself human. To be human is to feel the pain of every person as if it were yourself,” Ramphele responded.
The interview prompted strong criticism from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and media activists, who accused the broadcaster of echoing Israeli talking points and downplaying atrocities in Gaza.
In a statement, the SABC confirmed it had taken action. “SABC News management took immediate action in line with the SABC’s internal processes, and the presenter in question is currently not scheduled,” the broadcaster said.
It added that its editorial policies were designed to maintain trust with the public. “The SABC’s Editorial Policies are aimed at building trust with the public and in ensuring that our content, in all its formats, continues to resonate with the prescripts of our public mandate, and more so in providing universal access to credible content.”
The exchange has since triggered criticism of the public broadcaster’s handling of the war in Gaza. In an open letter, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) accused the SABC of biased reporting and sanitising atrocities.
“It is unacceptable that a public broadcaster would consistently adopt language that mirrors Israeli talking points, using phrases like ‘allegations of genocide’ or ‘according to Gaza health ministry’,” the PSC said.
The organisation emphasised that the crisis should not be framed as a conflict between equal sides.
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“This is not a ‘war’, it is a genocide, marked by forced displacement of civilians, indiscriminate bombing of homes, journalists, and medical staff, and the intentional starvation and blockade of aid,” the PSC stated.
The group also criticised what it described as censorship and institutional bias. “These editorial choices suggest institutional interference or censorship, shielding Israel from accountability and denying South Africans the right to accurate, unbiased reporting,” it wrote.
In its demands, the PSC called on the SABC to uphold ethical standards. “As a publicly funded institution, SABC has a duty to report with integrity, accuracy, and balance. We call on SABC to accurately describe the situation in Gaza as genocide, provide full coverage of South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel, and stop adopting the framing or talking points of foreign governments at the expense of truth.”
Media justice activist Hassen Lorgat echoed the concerns, saying the broadcaster’s approach was misleading the public. “This approach sanitises mass atrocities, misleads South Africans, and minimises crimes committed against Palestinians,” he said.
Lorgat added: “As a publicly funded broadcaster, the SABC has an obligation to provide accurate, balanced, and independent reporting.”
Professor Theo Neethling of the University of the Free State’s Department of Political Studies and Governance also weighed on, saying the debate over Gaza remains polarised.
“On the one hand, critics of Israel argue that what has unfolded over the past six decades against Palestinians amounts to a deliberate and systematic holocaust,” Neethling noted. “The opposing camp dismisses this comparison as historically false.”
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