South Africas official broadcaster SABC has decided to shelve its Great South Africans series, modelled on the BBCs Great Britons, after controversy arose when viewers chose white supremacists, convicted fraudsters and cheating sportsmen among the top 100. Were going back to the drawing board on this one, SABC Group CEO Peter Matlare said and stressed that SABC needed to ensure the broadest possible participation in the nomination and voting process. Viewers cast their votes by telephone, texting and e-mail all of which are mainly accessible to South Africas white citizens. Instead of celebrating South Africas national unity, the series has uncovered the nations enduring division.
The SABC also announced that it is embarking on a gradual process of updating its corporate identity platforms across the country. Included in this process is the modernising of its corporate logo, updating of signage in all regional offices around the country, freshening up the corporate brand on-air imagery, cleaning up stationery specifications, updating livery on vehicles, as well as improving public entrance experiences. This follows closely on recent brand television and radio commercials launched by the SABC as it continues to strive to deliver its public service mandate to the people of South Africa, and promote South African consciousness.