City Press reports that Hlaudi Motsoeneng, controversial acting chief operating officer
(COO) of public broadcaster SABC, has canned the donor-funded current affairs talk
show, The Big Debate. Season 2, which was meant to air on SABC2 on 17 October, has
been shelved and no repeats of the first series are to be shown.
This move has raised questions among industry stakeholders as to whether the COO
making editorial decisions is a contravention of the SABC’s editorial policies. It also
raises questions about freedom of speech and censorship.
According to City Press, three episodes of The Big Debate Season 2 have already been
recorded. Topics include the costs of telecommunications and the Marikana episode.
