- The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA has received 46 complaints, following a furore over an eNCA journalist's conduct.
- Senior journalist Lindsay Dentlinger was labelled racist after she was accused of allowing white politicians to be maskless during interviews, but not black politicians.
- Only 11 of the complaints met the commission's criteria.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has received 46 complaints, following a furore involving eNCA journalist, Lindsay Dentlinger, who was accused of being racist.
However, only 11 of the complaints met the necessary criteria, BCCSA registrar Shouneez Martin told News24 on Wednesday.
The BCCSA, which is an independent judicial tribunal established by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1993, could not comment further on the matter.
Dentlinger sparked outrage and was accused of being a racist after clips emerged of her conducting interviews during the budget speech.
She spoke to FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald while he wasn't wearing a mask and when she turned to UDM deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, she asked him to keep on his mask, News24 previously reported.
https://t.co/By0KBr5HQV | eNCA must take action - ANC Western Cape pickets outside news channel's Cape Town office https://t.co/bX715vapFe
— News24 (@News24) March 2, 2021
In addition, a montage was shared on social media which included Dentlinger interviewing DA leader John Steenhuisen while he wasn't wearing a mask and an interview she had with the IFP's Mkhuleko Hlengwa in which she advised him to keep on his mask.
In a separate incident, she can be seen asking politician Bongani Bongo to keep on his mask in line with Covid-19 protocols.
Dentlinger said the recordings in the montage, which went viral on social media, were made between October 2020 and last week, at different locations, News24 previously reported.
At the request of @johnbailey71, Managing Editor @eNCA, the General @BantuHolomisa and myself will be meeting with Mr John Bailey and @eNCA MD, Mr Norman Munzhelele at 12:00 today at our Offices in Parliament to discuss the mask incident and transformation in the media industry.
— Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP (@N_Kwankwa) March 3, 2021
The eNCA journalist disputed the racism claims but acknowledged the outrage and apologised.
"I totally acknowledge the outrage and I apologise for the disrespect it has caused to people who don't deserve to be drawn into this," she said.
The channel also came out in defence of its reporter, saying that her "alleged inconsistent behaviour" to Covid-19 protocols during a live interview "was not racially motivated or with malicious intent".
"eNCA understands how an excerpt of Dentlinger's coverage could have created a space for general public conjecture. However, eNCA management, after meeting with Dentlinger to discuss the matter, concluded that her conduct was not racially motivated or with malicious intent," the channel said in a statement.
The UDM's Bantu Holomisa and Kwankwa were expected to meet the channel's managing editor, John Bailey, and MD Norman Munzhelele on Wednesday.
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