Why Zondo inquiry must probe broadcast deals

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s judicial commission of inquiry into state capture must probe broadcast deals, Willie Currie and Melody Emmett write in a Business Day article. They say the ‘Zuptas’ attempt to control SA’s electronic broadcast news can be described as a conspiracy of dunces’. ‘When negotiating the terms for MultiChoice to pay for and carry the SABC’s 24-hour news channel on the DStv platform, MultiChoice Group CEO Imtiaz Patel insisted on adding a clause stating that the SABC would not support the encryption of set-top boxes as a matter of public policy. Evidence of a corrupt act was made visible after the minutes of the meeting attended by Patel and the SABC board were made public. No doubt the state capture commission will be interested to hear from Patel and the board why a clause on encryption was included in an agreement on TV channels. The Zupta scheme appears to have involved a policy amendment on encryption in exchange for payment for the SABC 24-hour news channel and ANN7 news coverage on the DStv platform. If this is the case, MultiChoice won its policy victory on encryption as a result of a corrupt act.’ Currie and Emmett write: ‘Zondo and his team of investigators should unearth the complexities of corrupt practices by the SABC, MultiChoice, e.tv, ANN7, Naspers, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Parliament, Icasa, Bell Pottinger, Facebook, Google, Twitter as well as the Presidency. Unless the commission works diligently to expose the tentacles of corruption that diminished these institutions, South Africans won’t be able to exercise their rights as citizens.’