Btv Suspends Jannie Again

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Monday June 17, 2013 00:00

This comes two years after Btv tried unsuccessfully to remove him from the station and get him transferred to the Department of Women's Affairs as chief gender officer.The Monitor can reveal that Jannie, head of News and Current Affairs at Btv, was on Wednesday last week escorted out of the Btv premises after Obonye, the Director of Broadcasting Servicers, slapped Jannie with a suspension letter in the presence of the Btv general manager Mogothwane.The Monitor understands that the suspension letter that was delivered by Obonye, was authored by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Sarah George, but it did not state the reasons for the suspension.

Yesterday when The Monitor contacted Btv director Obonye about the suspension of his veteran broadcaster, Obonye said he was out of town and knew nothing about the said suspension. He said as such he could not comment.Yesterday Jannie confirmed he has been suspended but said as a public officer he cannot comment further, referring The Monitor to his superiors.Jannie was first suspended from Btv and deployed to be the chief gender officer at the Department of Women's Affairs along with chief technician Vusi Ziga who was sent to the Ministry of Sports, but the duo took the matter to the high court where they revealed in the affidavit how the then director, Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo and the Minister of Presidential Affairs at the time, Lesego Motsumi interfered with the editorial independence of Btv.

Jannie in particular revealed in his affidavit how the director favours the positive coverage of the ruling party against other political parties.Government would later settle the case out of court with both Jannie and Ziga reinstated to their previous posts at Btv.However it would seem the intention to remove Jannie, in particular, is still strong, after the latest episode.Mogomotsi is today the deputy permanent secretary responsible for government media, and is based at the Btv premises.

While weekend media reports allege that Jannie's suspension has a lot to do with the failure to perform damage control coverage about a stage managed tour of cheetahs at the BDF enclosure by President Ian Khama, The Monitor has established that the letter of suspension is itself silent regarding Jannie's sins.The Monitor is informed by its sources that the suspension emanates from a report compiled by the director of broadcasting services about Jannie.The report was handed to the PS who acted by suspending the veteran broadcaster indefinitely.In 2011 Btv director Obonye suspended preacher Thuso Tiego from his radio programmes because he was deemed to be sympathetic to the newly formed breakaway party, the BMD.