Journalists have started picketing outside the SABC’s offices in Cape Town, in solidarity with the public broadcaster’s staff.

The South African National Editors’ Forum will join Friday’s planned pickets outside the SABC’s offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Sanef urged all journalists and citizens who support media freedom to attend the protests in Auckland Park, Johannesburg and Sea Point, Cape Town.

A message of the intended action was circulated by journalists and news editors on social media. It was not clear who the organiser was.

“This is not about us or our respective media houses, but a direct assault on our profession and press freedom,” the message read.

Several of the public broadcaster’s journalists had been suspended for speaking out against COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s decision to no longer air footage of the destruction of property during protests.

Acting group CEO Jimi Matthews resigned from the broadcaster on Monday. He said the SABC’s “corrosive atmosphere” had negatively affected his moral judgement, and made him complicit in decisions he was not proud of.

Reporting by Iavan Pijoos