SABC ordered to reinstate 7 of the "#SABC8," Vuyo Mvoko excluded

After what has been a rather turbulent few weeks at the SABC, the broadcaster late this afternoon announced plans to reinstate 7 of the 8 journalists it dismissed for speaking out against the broadcaster's plan to no longer cover destructive protests. 

The SABC, under the reigns of COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng, last week defied a court order by locking out four of the journalists after being ordered to reinstate them. At the time, the SABC planned to appeal the court order, but such plans has since been dropped.

The reinstated journalists are:

• Thandeka Gqubule (economics editor)
• Busisiwe Ntuli (Special Assignment executive producer) 
• Lukhanyo Calata (SABC parliamentary correspondent)
•  Krivani Pillay (SAfm current affairs executive producer)
• Foeta Krige (RSG executive editor)
• Jacques Steenkamp (senior investigative journalist)
• Suna Venter (senir journalist)

The most senior member of the SABC8, contributing editor, Vuyo Mvoko, has not been reinstated (well at least not yet). Mvoko authored an article that appeared in Independent Newspapers  titles in which he criticised the SABC's policies, a move his lawyer called protecting the broadcaster. The brodcaster then terminated his contract for bringing the broadcast into disrepute. 

Mvoko has since applied to the Johannesburg High Court for the enforcement of his contract. The only reason a decision on him was not made today is because he is being legally represented separately from the rest of the "SABC8."

[Personally, it is elections next week and I am really going to miss Mvoko not playing a major role in that day's broadcasts as he always does on major political news days.]