BBC Faces Backlash Over Alleged Bias in Coverage of White Farmer Killings in South Africa

[MicroB]

A South African complaining about BBC coverage, irrespective of the issue, does not constitute backlash in the way I understand the ter,. Generally, backlash is taken to mean a groundswell of public opprobrium against an organisation or individual. The BBC might be receiving complaints from a private South African citizen about its coverage of current events in his country, but in the UK, I am not sensing any sort of "backlash". His correct recourse is to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, which is responsible for the conduct of correspondants working for foreign news organisation in South Africa.

 

Of course he is not some random South African businessman. He is one of the Hersovs; a prominant business family in South Africa for the last 3 generations. His father made an utter fortune in mining and arms during the Apartheid years.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglovaal

 

Why is a British South African dual national worried about how a British news organisation covers news relating to the United States?

 

He is the former chair of BIPA; the British Internet Publishers Association, a trade body, and has been a long term critic. So really, his latest is nothing new. He's had a beef with the BBC probably his entire life.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/dec/09/internetnews.business1

https://variety.com/2000/digital/news/a-battle-for-supremacy-1117788816/

 

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmselect/cmcumeds/161/1013114.htm

 

 

And I get an idea about his bio here;

https://www.ny-forum-africa.com/en/speakers/2014/

 

So he has a portfolio of board positions that include the media. He call to dismantle the BBC is based on commercial concerns. He's always been opposed to the BBC on principle. Maybe Gary Lineker said hurtey things about him. Notably, he made no such complaints about Channel4, ITV nor Skynews, who have lead with basically the same stance as the BBC.

 

Nothing will come of his complaint, nothing. But its just theatre.

 

Here he is joking with fellow South Africans that there is no white genocide going on.There is complex ZA domestic policies at play:

 

 

Its all about who can invest in a Star Link South Africa subsidiary. As its in telecommunications, the South African government says it must have 30% investment from a historically disadvantaged group. It can't have investment from one of Hersov's media companies, because, as the son of Basil Hersov, he's never been disadvantaged. As soon as that is sorted out, I expect any American issue with South Africa to evaporate, and the refugees being politely told they are no longer refugees, and need to regularise their presence before ICE comes a knocking.

 

And here is the change

 

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/52712-3218-Comms-Policy-Direction-ICASA-BEE-2025-05May-23-1.pdf

 

Musk's own tweets expose the lie about "white genocide". If white genocide is actually happening, why does he want to invest in that country? He knows its <deleted>.