A complaint was lodged with the BCCSA by King Edward High School against the SABC for a broadcast dated 2 July 2019 at 21:30 on SABC1. The broadcast was a programme called Cutting Edge. Cutting Edge is an investigative programme that depicts prevailing and current affairs in South Africa. The episode in contention was titled “Intlungu yobuhlanga” which means: “The pain caused by racism”. The broadcast was allegedly aimed at exposing racism in South Africa and in King Edward High School, which is situated in Matatiele, Eastern Cape. In the broadcast, interviews were conducted with parent(s) and state officials on allegations of racism in the school. The broadcast included various images and video clips of alleged racist conduct perpetuated by white people against non-white people. These images were not related to the alleged racism in King Edward High School. The majority of the Tribunal found that the respondent contravened Clauses 12, 13(1) and 15(1) & (3) of the Free-To-Air Code of Conduct for broadcasting service licensees. The complaint is accordingly upheld.
