Malatsi fights big broadcasting battles

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new cabinet on Sunday, 30 June 2024, appointing Solly Malatsi of the Democratic Alliance as the country’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.

His appointment as Communications Minister shifted former minister Mondli Gungubele to deputy minister in the department.

As Communications Minister, Malatsi is mandated to facilitate South Africa’s broadcast digital migration project. He is also fighting to ensure the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) survival.

One of Malatsi’s significant challenges is managing the broadcast digital migration project, which has been passed between fourteen ministers in as many years.

South Africa wants to move from inefficient analogue TV signals to more efficient digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmissions to free up valuable radio frequency spectrum for wireless mobile broadband services like 4G and 5G.

This requires households to install set-top boxes (STB) to translate digital TV signals into a format that older TVs with analogue tuners can display.

Much progress has been made on the broadcast digital migration project since former communications ministers Gungubele and Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

The new deadline for switching off the current analogue TV signals is 31 December 2024. However, it comes with challenges.

Malatsi faces an uphill battle surrounding the deadline, with free-to-air broadcasters fearing losing audience numbers once that date hits.

According to the SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) lost roughly 40% of its audience when analogue signals were switched off in five provinces.

“If we’re looking at the big provinces, it’s going to lose more than 60%,” said SOS Coalition national coordinator Uyanda Siyotula.

Earlier this year, eMedia CEO Khalik Sherrif said the broadcaster doesn’t support the 31 December deadline as more than four million households in the country still rely on analogue TV signals.

“Our condition is simply clear. When you move all these people across, we’re happy to switch off. Then it is worth our while as a business that relies on that market,” he said.

Malatsi noted serious challenges regarding meeting the deadline during the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies meeting.

During the same meeting, the SABC requested an extension until the end of 2025. However, no final decision has been made.

Malatsi temporarily resolved another threat to the SABC: disconnection from state-owned signal distributor Sentech.

The SABC is in debt with Sentech, prompting the latter to threaten to disconnect its transmissions.

However, the minister intervened and facilitated a two-month grace period for the public broadcaster while it searched for a new funding model.

This brings us to Malatsi’s most controversial move since taking office. The SABC Bill, aimed at reworking the broadcaster’s funding model, only set a timeframe of “within three years” to do so.

Malatsi withdrew the bill, describing it as “totally flawed.” After consulting with stakeholders and reviewing public submissions, the minister invoked his discretionary powers to cancel the bill.

“This approach does not meet the urgency required to stabilise the broadcaster and risks perpetuating an outdated licensing structure that will not provide the SABC with the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate,” said Malatsi.

His withdrawal of the bill prompted backlash from Khusela Diko, the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications.

“While appreciative of the fact that as the executive authority, the minister may rescind the Bill for whatever reason before its second reading in the House, the chairperson holds that this decision by the minister would be highly ill-advised,” she said.

“It is no exaggeration to say it would sound the death knell for the SABC.”

Malatsi believes partially privatising the SABC would be the best way to ensure its survival.