Icasa dismisses complaint against SABC broadcast
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) is satisfied with the SABC's response to the complaint laid against them by the DA, the IFP and the UDM for broadcasting live on TV the ANC's election manifesto and will not be referring the matter to the Broadcasting Monitoring and Complaints Committee.
The SABC was initially given until last Friday to respond to the complaints, but this was extended to Monday. After considering the SABC's written response Icasa stuck to its original decision that the complaint fell outside the ambit of Elections Regulations and Guidelines. The "election period" commences only from the day that an election date has been set.
In the light of the above, Icasa claimed that they only had to decide whether the SABC contravened the broadcasting legislation and/or its own code of conduct. After perusing the SABC's report the authority stated their satisfaction that there was no apparent or real contavention of the broadcasting legislation.
