MK Party uses Zille comments on GNU to bolster case against SABC

CAPE TOWN - The MK Party has used utterances made by its political nemesis, the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Helen Zille, to bolster its argument that the seventh administration is not a Government of National Unity (GNU). 

On Thursday, it dragged the SABC to court in an urgent bid to get the broadcaster to stop using the term, saying it’s inaccurate and poisoning the minds of its viewers and listeners. 

For its part, the SABC said it’s not taken a subjective position to use the term and it’s aired the debate on its use from across the political spectrum.

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The MK Party said the 2.6 million voters who cast their ballots for the party in the May polls were being abused by the SABC's continual use of the term GNU.

It added that the public broadcaster was not living up to its mantra of independence and impartiality. 

Advocate Dali Mpofu has referred the court to the comments made by DA federal chair, Helen Zille, who has disputed the use of the term GNU on more than one occasion for what she believes is in effect a coalition of parties. 

The court also heard the former finance minister, Tito Mboweni, had expressed similar reservations. 

In response, advocate Terry Motau, for the SABC, argued the term was a political one and politicians were likely to make different utterances on different days. 

Ultimately, he argued, the MK Party was not suffering any harm to its rights as a result of the term’s use and the SABC had not represented a view that it believed the government was one of national unity.