It’s Pretoria, Not Tshwane

South Africa’s Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCCSA) has ruled against the SABC and ordered it to stop referring to Pretoria as “Tshwane” in its news bulletins.

The original complaint lodged by Afrikaaner-rights group Afriforum last April argued calling Pretoria “Tshwane” was constituted unequal and unfair treatment of Pretoria in comparison to other cities.

Kriel also claimed the SABC’s constant misnaming of Pretoria was part of a concerted effort to “mislead the public into believing that the capital’s name was no longer Pretoria.”

Kallie Kriell

The commission found that, when the SABC reported on events in Pretoria, it used the name “Tshwane”, which is the name of the municipality in which Pretoria is located. But when it reported on events in Durban or Port Elizabeth, it used those names and not those of the municipalities eThekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay respectively.

The SABC’s manager for compliance and policy, Fakir Hassen, argued that the Presidency was ‘indeed’ situated in Tshwane and not Pretoria.

However, Tshwane has not been officially registered as a place name.

As a result, the commission has ordered SABC to call Pretoria by its proper name in future broadcasts. Should it not comply, SABC will be fined R50,000 (US $6,420) for each offense.

“We will abide by the [commission’s] ruling and will send a notification to all reporters to refrain from using the term,” said SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago.

Hassen has already sent an internal e-mail to SABC employees ordering them to stop using Tshwane in news reports, says Die Burger. Hassen concedes in the e-mail that there are no grounds on which to appeal the BCCSA ruling, “especially in the light of our own inconsistent application of Pretoria’s name on radio and television.” The broadcaster refers to “Tshwane” in its television news only, notes Hassen.

Kriel said he was happy with the ruling, adding, “We saw the use of this term as misrepresenting the facts.”

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