Nzimande threatens City Press

NEWSWATCH: Media24's City Press has been accused of becoming a lobby group within the ANC structures and covering news in a provocatively, factionalist, divisive and highly subjective manner by the general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and a member of the ANC National Executive Committee, Blade Nzimznde.

By Tshepiso Seopa & Simone Puterman

4 Feb 2008

The newspaper published an open letter last week, written by Nzimande and addressed to Hein Brand Media24's managing director and publishing chief executive Francis Groepe, suggesting that the paper's editors be fired; and admitted that boycotting of the paper has been discussed in many leadership and grassroots meetings of the alliance.

In the first paragraph of the letter, Nzimande refers to the press ombudsman as a toothless institution that is not fit enough to rule on the matter that he has outlined.

Meanwhile, The Times Online reports that Koni Media has returned with a R5 billion offer for Avusa, a week after “Tokyo Sexwale's Mvelaphanda Group announced the successful conclusion of a deal with fund manager Allan Gray to take over an estimated R1.4-billion stake in the media group”. The bid has not gone down well with the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), which has expressed concern over the motivations behind the interest.

According to the Mail & Guardian Online, the latest development in the pay TV saga is that several of the unsuccessful subscription broadcasting licence applicants from last year may be launching legal challenges against ICASA as they believe they have been “unjustly swept aside”.

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