Media Monitoring Africa director William Bird previously spoke to Newzroom about Duarte and Mbalula’s conduct around Magopeni and the SABC. “If they had a legitimate concern, the easy thing to do would be to go and report that at the time of the elections,” he said. “To come now, and to do it in a public forum, and to go then specifically and approach the head of news and attack her … that looks like something a lot closer to interference and intimidation.” “That kind of thing from the ANC is completely unacceptable,” he added.