Witnesses supporting Phathiswa Magopeni blame technical television team for error

Witnesses who support SABC News Editor-in-Chief Phathiswa Magopeni have all blamed the airing of an interdicted episode of a special assignment on the technical television team.

Witnesses have told Magopeni’s disciplinary hearing there was a duplication of codes on the system resulting in both the interdicted episode and its replacement being saved under the same code.

Magopeni is facing a disciplinary hearing after the episode was broadcast despite a court interdict.

Special Assignment Executive Producer Busisiwe Ntuli was the first witness to take the stand in Phathiswa Magopeni’s defence.

She told the court that the interdicted episode aired because of a system malfunction.

“When the technical people determined that there was a duplication, I was not aware that there was a duplication. In fact as you can see in my e-mail there, I was worried we were moving towards broadcast, and I was then on the phone with Nadiba the Story Editor to say, let’s see what replacement program can we find because here we are having a problem the story isn’t going through. We can’t go on air with this one. They determined there was a duplication, I was not aware,” she said.

Head of Output Mlungisi Shivamba has echoed these views.

The chair advocate Nazeer Cassim has asked all witnesses whether the news department could have handled the matter better to which all responded no.