Solidarity now intends to submit and urgent bid to force the SABC to take the workers back, it said.
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The court yesterday ordered the public broadcaster to reinstate them.
“They have done so despite the appeal papers not being processed yet, so technically the SABC is in contempt of court”, he said..
Tebele responded by saying that SABC lawyers had written to the SABC 4’s lawyers “informing them that you could not report for duty”.
The labour court ruled on Tuesday that four of the eight SABC journalists that were axed by the broadcaster had to be reinstated.
The four employees were supposed to be back at work this morning but this is not happening as the SABC is appealing the judgement.
The journalists were suspended and then fired for speaking out against the SABC’s censorship policy, which saw “violent protest” footage banned from SABC channels. The four journalists, as well as four others (the so-called #SABC8), Thandeka Gqubule, Busisiwe Ntuli, Vuyo Mvoku and Lukhanyo Calata, opposed the new act, were suspended and later fired after receiving dismissal letters.
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SABC deputy political editor Mahlatse Gallens also posted a picture on Twitter with the dismissed journalists. The four journalists who won today will be returning to a work environment that is like a political pressure cooker.
