Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has vowed that the party will challenge in court the SABC’s rejection of its election advertisement that depicts the burning of South Africa’s flag.
The ad has drawn condemnation from a cross-section of leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, who labelled it “desperate” and “treasonous.”
SABC rejects DA advertisement
The SABC has now refused to air the advert on its channels, according to a letter it sent to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on Thursday (9 May).
“The SABC has been monitoring the outcry from South Africans of all races condemning the advertisement which is currently in circulation on various media platforms. Likewise, the SABC believes that the advertisement encourages damage of treasured national symbols,” the public broadcaster’s Complaints Specialist Nyiko Shibambo said.
“The national flag is a national symbol which represents diverse elements of the country and national unity. Additionally, it is expected that the national flag should be accorded with dignity and respect. Thus, the flag is not a representation of a political party but the nation at large.”
Shibambo said the SABC had also noted Ramaphosa and other government departments’ condemnation of the advert, adding that as “a responsible public broadcaster,” it does “not want to be part of fuelling the outrage.”
“The SABC persuades the Democratic Alliance to amend the advertisement. In the spirit of the South African Constitutional values and principles of national unity and nation building, the desecration of the national flag should be condemned,” he wrote.
“The SABC, as a public broadcaster, is mandated to promote nation building through its services and the said political advertisement goes against the spirit of nation building.
“The SABC has also noted that some of the words used in the advertisement in question are subject to a formal complaint lodged with ICASA against the SABC. Therefore, allowing this advertisement to be broadcast will be prejudicial to the SABC. We encourage the DA to amend the advertisement and resubmit for broadcast.”
‘Deployed ANC cadres’
Steenhuisen shared the SABC’s letter on X and vowed that the DA will “fight to the highest court in the land to defend our constitution.”
“In an unprecedented attack on our democracy, deployed ANC cadres at the SABC have banned the DA’s latest advertisement from the air to hide the truth of how the ANC has burnt our country to the ground,” he wrote.
“This censorship is not only a clampdown on dissent, but also provides a foretaste of the assault on our flag that will come under an ANC/EFF Doomsday Coalition. The banning of our ad only reinforces its message: that our constitutional democracy will burn unless millions vote DA.”
The DA believes that the ANC will not be able to achieve outright majority in the 29 May election and claims this would force ANC to form a coalition with the EFF.
According to it, this “doomsday coalition” would be the symbolic equivalent of burning the South African flag.
As “proof” that the ANC and EFF are planning a coalition, Steenhuisen has repeatedly cited Malema’s recent comment that the EFF would be willing to offer its votes to the ANC on condition that his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, is made finance minister.
However, neither the EFF nor the ANC has formally announced plans to work together after the election.