The South African Broadcasting Corporation on Friday evening launched a 24-hour international news channel in English and French in what it was described as an effort to give an African perspective on African affairs, according to dpa. SABC News International will provide coverage from a network of correspondents around the world and will compete in Africa with BBC World, CNN, Al Jazeera and CNBC Africa. Launching the channel in Johannesburg Friday evening, President Thabo Mbeki charged: "Even when African broadcasters participate in the dissemination of news it is only in the context of stories filed by foreign news agencies with headquarters in the cities of powerful nations." Mbeki, who has often taken aim at foreign news outlets for their alleged "Afropessimism" said he hoped SABC International's coverage would reflect "what is really happening on our continent." The new channel will be available in Africa as part of the DStv satellite television offering.
