JOHANNESBURG, June 7 (ANA) – The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) on Wednesday ruled in favour of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in relation to a racially charged and controversial incident in Isidingo episodes.
The episodes of the SABC 3 soapie portrayed scenes where a Sechaba Moloi-Matabane, a black character, was verbally abused then physically attacked and buried alive by two white farmers.
The scene evoked an array of emotions amongst South Africans on social media, with some condemning Isidingo writers while others praised them for portraying “the truth”. The episodes were broadcast on April 26, May 1, 2, and 3.
Following the scenes, the Registrar of the BCCSA received several complaints from viewers. International protest site change.org even started a petition, asking for support to stop Isidingo from featuring racism because “it fuels hatred from the past”.
The BCCSA on Wednesday said it has reviewed the episodes and found that the public service broadcaster was not in contravention of clause 4(1) or (2) or any other clause of the Code of Conduct of the BCCSA. The complaints were therefore not upheld.
The SABC, as a public service broadcaster, said it would always strive to depict what is happening in society as they are while upholding its editorial policy and the BCCSA’s code of conduct.
– African News Agency (ANA)
