Private South Africa news channel defends editorial independence

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's leading private broadcaster hit back at allegations on Tuesday that its editorial independence was under threat from a political and union plot to sway coverage on its 24-hour ENCA news channel. In an email to staff, John Copelyn, the chairman of ENCA parent company Sabido Investments, dismissed accusations by suspended chief executive Marcel Golding - who resigned on Monday - that the ruling African National Congress had tried to influence its news agenda. "Apart from an ideological rejection of political interference, there are compelling business reasons never to allow this to happen," Copelyn said in the email seen by Reuters. The spat between Copelyn and Golding, apartheid-era trade unionists who founded the channel in 1998 using funds from the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU), has raised questions about media freedom in South Africa 20 years after the end of apartheid. SACTWU is an ally of President Jacob Zuma, and Golding said the union used its influence on the board of ENCA's parent company to push for favourable coverage of state infrastructure projects ahead of an election in May this year. ENCA's main competitor is the state-run SABC, whose political coverage is frequently accused of being favourable to the ANC. Golding resigned on Monday after losing a court bid to overturn his suspension, which Copelyn said was the result of Golding buying 24 million rand (1.36 million pounds) of shares in an electronic equipment firm on behalf of the company but without board approval. Golding has said the investment was a strategic one made to help another group company and that he was suspended after he resisted political interference in the station's news content. (Reporting by David Dolan; Editing by Joe Brock/Jeremy Gaunt)