Cape Verde TV Leaders Face Ousting After Bus Crash Coverage
The administration of Cape Verde’s national broadcaster, Rádio Televisão Cabo-verdiana (RTC), has moved to fire the leadership of its television division following a series of management failures, most notably a significant delay in reporting a bus crash that claimed 25 lives.
A Sluggish Response to National Tragedy
According to an official resolution reviewed by the Lusa news agency, RTC’s board of directors initiated dismissal proceedings against the management of Televisão Cabo-verdiana (TCV). The board cited a lack of urgency in covering the catastrophic accident on Fogo island this past Saturday.
“Faced with the tragic accident on the island of Fogo, TCV did not ensure the rapid journalistic response required of a public television station,” the document stated. The board noted that TCV remained silent on the event of “high national interest” long after international outlets and private media had already broken the news.
“The Final Straw”
The resolution suggests that the delayed coverage was not an isolated incident but rather the “culmination of a series of occurrences” that revealed deep-seated deficiencies in the station’s coordination and leadership. RTC’s three-member board voted unanimously to remove TCV’s current management team.
The dismissal process has been forwarded to the Social Communication Regulatory Authority (ARC), the regulatory body responsible for providing binding opinions on the appointment and removal of directors within state-owned media.
Internal Friction
Sources within the RTC Board of Directors told Lusa that they attempted to meet with the leadership of both the radio and television divisions to evaluate the weekend’s coverage. While the radio management cooperated, the television management reportedly declined to meet with the board before the resolution was issued. Efforts by Lusa to reach TCV Director Bernardina Ferreira for comment were unsuccessful.
National Mourning in Cape Verde
The controversy stems from a horrific accident in the locality of Campanas de Cima, where a bus carrying 39 passengers—including several students—veered off the road and plunged 30 meters down a ravine. The crash resulted in 25 deaths, prompting the Cape Verdean government to declare two days of national mourning.
Image: Pexels – Petr Ganaj
