Isidingo wins complaint case after being accused of ‘fuelling racism’

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) on Wednesday ruled in favour of the SABC in relation to a racially charged and controversial incident in an Isidingo episode.

The episode of the SABC 3 soapie portrayed scenes where a Sechaba Moloi-Matabane, a black character, was verbally abused and then physically attacked and buried alive by two white farmers.

The scene was reminiscent of an event in the news last year when two white men were filmed in a viral social media video forcing a black man into a coffin. They appeared in the matter in the Middelburg Magistrates’ Court.

The men faced charges of kidnapping and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa.

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/news-national/coffin-assault-pair-denied-bail/

The Isidingo scene evoked an array of emotions among South Africans on social media, with some condemning the writers while others praised them for portraying “the truth”.

The episode was broadcast on April 26, May 1, 2, and 3.

Following the scene, 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 had 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 was happening in society as they were while upholding its editorial policy and the BCCSA’s code of conduct.

– African News Agency (ANA)