Abbey Makoe – the man at the centre of the recent Forum for Black
Journalists (FBJ) storm – has resigned as the SABC's political editor
after a mere eight months in the job, write Kashiefa Adams and Siyabonga Mkhwanazi in the Sautrday Star.
The SABC announced yesterday that he would leave at the end of the month for "greener pastures".
Makoe joined the SABC in August last year, succeeding Vuyo Mvuko, who had left in 2005.
Makoe told the Saturday Star that he was going into partnership
with friend and colleague Tebogo Pooe, who founded the Soweto Community
Radio station, to start a multimedia company to supply South African
news to broadcast and print media houses.
"I was supposed to have left in January but Dr Snuki Zikalala
[SABC head of news] convinced me to stay. He recruited me, after all.
"But I am leaving here with a clear conscience and I know that the SABC's doors will always be open to me."
Makoe received critical reviews last year for a radio interview
he conducted with President Thabo Mbeki ahead of the ANC's Polokwane
conference, and more recently for his involvement in the FBJ's decision
to bar white reporters from a relaunch meeting addressed by ANC
president Jacob Zuma.
This week, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) ruled that the FBJ's policy of race exclusivity was unconstitutional.
Click here to read the full report, posted on the Saturday Star's website (subscriber access only).ÂÂÂ
Click here to read another report, posted on iol.co.za.
