SABC news boss Jimi Matthews has defended his decision to ban the use of the words "compound" and "Zumaville" in a piece on the broadcaster's website.
Matthews came under fire last week for an e-mail he sent barring the use of the words when referring to upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla home in KwaZulu-Natal, which reportedly cost taxpayers R238-million.
"Nkandlagate, Zumaville are highly loaded and judgemental terms that explain nothing," he wrote.
In the article on Monday, Matthews said Afrikaans newspapers referred to Zuma's home as private "woning", which were "neutral references".
"Interestingly, the Afrikaans translation, kampong, is hardly ever used."
Matthews said former president Nelson Mandela's residence, Qunu, is also not referred to as a "compound".
He said the decision to bar the use of the word "compound" was a "matter of judgment".
He said the e-mail had "emanated from the fact" that he had called for more coverage of the controversy surrounding the residence.
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