The Guardian Journal in Nottingham, England reported on August 6, 1966, "The South African Broadcasting Corporation announced yesterday that it had banned records by The Beatles following a reported remark about Jesus by John Lennon. Dr. Piet Meyer, chairman of the corporation's board of governors, announced that if Lennon was correctly reported, 'and unless a satisfactory explanation is immediately forthcoming, the SABC will not continue to broadcast their music.' Dr. Meyer said the Government-controlled SABC, which is the only broadcasting medium in South Africa, 'will not lend its services to the fostering of the image of this group in our country.'... 

"Dr. Meyer's announcement followed an attack on the Beatles in the regular SABC programme 'Current Affairs.' The programme referred to the Beatles having been awarded the MBE, and said, 'The praise of the authorities and the adulation of teenagers swelled to unbounded proportions the arrogance of these young men. Recently in the Philippines, they snubbed the President's wife. They have been elevated above the necessity of courtesy to the first lady of the state. Now their arrogance has trespassed beyond the ultimate limits of decency. It is clowning no longer.'"

United Press International (as printed in the Sacramento Bee in California on August 8, 1966) updated the story: "The ban was extended also to include any music composed by members of the Beatles group."

On August 10, 1966, Newsday on Long Island in NY (compiling from multiple wire services), reported, "In Johannesburg, South Africa, plans for a bonfire of Beatle records fizzled when only eight records were contributed by tudents of Florida Afrikaans Medium High School. the principal, H.P. Van Collier, said he would return the records to the pupils. Collier had asked the school's 1,050 pupils to bring in Beatle records and pictures to burn in protest to the statement."

Flash forward to 1969: The Associated Press (as printed in the Daily News-Post in Monrovia, CA, on September 6, 1969) reported, "In most other parts of the world it's forgotten, but in South Africa Beatle John Lennon's casual remark in August [sic], 1966, that his pop group was more popular than Christ still stirs strong memories. The South African Broadcasting Corp., SABC, which monopolises all radio broadcasts in South Africa, banned the Beatles after Lennon's comment and said recently it will not relent unless there is a personal apology."

According to the column "Walter Scott's Personality Parade" in the syndicated Sunday newspaper magazine supplement Parade (as printed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on May 2, 1971), "After five years of a radio blackout on Beatles music, South Africa has lifted the ban imposed in 1966."