Malema stands by his claims that eNCA promotes ‘white privilege’

EFF leader Julius Malema has responded to eNCA’s statement relating to his claims that the 24-hour news channel protects “white privilege”, saying he never criticised the channel’s ownership but its editorial policy.

At the weekend, Malema caused a storm on Twitter after he complained about programme changes at the SABC following the appointment last month of journalist and academic, Phathiswa Magopeni, as the public broadcaster’s group executive for news and current affairs.

Malema said he was concerned about the changes at the SABC and that “someone is busy creating eNCA lite at the SABC”.

“We have to find a way of stopping whiteness from taking over the only platform of black people before is [sic] too late. eNCA is the platform that perpetuate white supremacy and there’s no doubt,” he said.

On Monday, eNCA’s managing director and editor-in-chief, Mapi Mhlangu, took exception to the EFF leader’s remarks on Twitter, saying the accusation was “disturbing given the values at the core of eNCA’s journalism over the last decade”.

Mhlangu pointed out that Malema’s characterisation of the channel was not factual as the channel’s majority stakeholder is a black empowerment company, Hoskins Consolidated Investments (HCI).

“[A] significant share of eMedia Investments’ is held by the South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (Sactwu). The ownership of eNCA through eMedia is therefore not as has often been alleged in public.

“Additionally, the staff members at eNCA are representative of the diversity of people who make up contemporary South Africa, who bring to their work divergent political views and social experiences, which inform our story-telling in ways which South Africans have appreciated to the extent of making us the most-watched channel among news viewers,” Mhlangu said.

Taking to Twitter, Malema stood by his initial remarks and accused eNCA promoting white supremacy and taking an anti-black agenda through its editorial policy.

He tweeted: “Who spoke about ownership of the @eNCA? There’s a difference between ownership and editorial decisions and therefore your editorial policy is to promote white supremacy that’s all. @eNCA is pushing anti-black agenda and you can’t fool us about that, we see you.”