According to last week's media reports, SuperSport (M-Net) and Metro FM (SABC) sports presenter Marawa has been fired, dismissed, given the boot or shown the door – depending on who wrote what – by the public broadcaster.
When pressed to explain what ‘taken off air' really means, Kganyago replied: “This is an internal matter between Robert and SABC, which I would not go into details as the problem is still waiting to be finalised. As soon as it is done, then we will issue a public statement.”
A statement was then issued early Friday evening, with Bob Mabena, GM commercial radio SABC, saying that they met with Marawa that afternoon to discuss the issues regarding his temporary suspension from the station, as a result of the broadcast on 15 June 2007 and which pertain to breech of the editorial codes of the SABC, and they look forward to resolving the situation.
Sources close to Auckland Park say it was an act of revenge after the SABC lost the rights to broadcast local soccer games to channel rival SuperSport, in a five-year deal reportedly worth more than R2 billion. And Marawa was seen on TV smiling widely to celebrate the successful ‘coup d'etat' with his M-Net bosses and colleagues, one of the scenes that shocked and enraged the public broadcaster's top management.
But the SABC cries foul and says “it is not over until it is over”.
Kganyago said they are worried about the fate of millions of soccer fans, many of whom not only are unable to install a DStv connection, but rely on radio to listen to the game in their own mother tongue. The SABC is said to own 18 radio stations across South Africa.
Currently, it costs close to R2000 to install a DStv connection and one has to fork out at least R450 a month for a ‘full house' subscription, which is a luxury for many in a country such as SA, where the gap between the haves and have-nots is said to become the world's second-biggest after Brazil, according to a recent study.
This situation has probably led many politicians allied to the ANC to voice their ‘support' to the SABC. But when summoned to Parliament to explain their ‘fiasco', group CEO Dali Mpofu said that they could have easily matched SuperSport's offer but they just refrained from ‘overpaying' for broadcasting rights.
When asked by Bizcommunity.com to comment further on Mpofu's statement, Kganyago said: “I do not want to comment on that statement because it does not change anything.
“It does not matter now. What matters is that we have sent a letter to PSL yesterday [Thursday], asking them to come back to the negotiating table. People should not rush to draw quick conclusions because it is not over yet.
“The fact that we have received a lot of support from unlikely sources (SA Council of Churches, PAC, IFP) can only mean that many people are concerned about the real impact of this deal.
“Again, I want to emphasise that media reports saying that we were red-carded or dealt another blow by losing the rights to broadcast the Telkom Charity Cup are inaccurate.
“All these competitions (Absa Cup, Telkom, SAA) are part of the whole package – the rights to broadcast PSL games, and you cannot separate one of them from the whole package by saying take this and do not take that.
“Consenting to broadcast the Telkom Cup is tantamount to accept defeat, give this deal the thumbs-up and give up the fight, which is not the case here.
“Journalists should check and double-check their facts and not rush to print inaccuracies,” Kganyago insisted.
SuperSport CEO Imtiaz Patel said: “I do not want to comment on what other people have said. That is not my world. All I know is that we have a five-year contract binding us with the PSL to broadcast their games.
“We will make available 110 games out of 275 to all free-to-air channels, and that is all I can say for now.”
Furthermore, some Government circles have branded the PSL an ‘unpatriotic' and ‘capitalist-triggered' organisation for awarding the contract to SuperSport, saying that they only care about their own interests and neglect the plight of the poor.
However, media analyst and author Denis Kayenge slammed sections of Government that support the SABC and vilify the PSL. “PSL, an unpatriotic organisation? What a joke! If the Government is patriotic enough and really cares about the poor, why don't they give the mere 10% to the strikers who have been on the streets for four weeks now?” Kayenge asked.
“This is a typical African attitude where Government's top officials hide behind the poor to score political points to demonstrate that they really care about people. SABC must blame itself for taking these broadcasting rights for granted. This is no child's play, it is business.”
“As far as I know, this SuperSport contract will boost the players' welfare in the sense that they will have more money in their pockets to feed their families, motivate their performance and give them better working conditions – all this in an effort by PSL to increase the standards of soccer ahead of 2010.”
Several attempts to get comment from PSL have proved fruitless, but Bizcommunity.com understands that by the time of going to press it had not yet responded to the SABC's letter.
In the latest developments – perhaps as an act of self-consolation – the SABC has reportedly bought the rights to broadcast Monday night's English League soccer games, in a deal apparently worth close to R300m.
Alea acta est!
