SABC falling apart

The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) 28-story Radio Park office block is falling apart with lifts that are beyond repair, forcing staff and freelancers to climb the stairs daily, Rapport reports.

In addition to the broken lifts, which last functioned in 2018, staff have complained about outdated toilet facilities and poorly lit stairs in the dilapidated building.

While there are escalators in the building, staff say they are perpetually unavailable and cordoned off.

As a result, some of the biggest radio stations in the country can’t invite guests for interviews, and those on lower floors need to warn interviewees about travelling up stairs.

These include RSG on the first floor, Channel Africa on the second floor, and SAfm on the sixth floor.

One worker told Rapport that lifts to the fourteenth floor did not work and only express lifts that serve the fifteenth to twenty-seventh floors, where management and top executives are housed, worked.

They added that ceiling panels were falling out and broadcasting had become a challenge because of old infrastructure, creating a sense of no leadership.

SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo said the state broadcaster would ensure the building remains safe for staff and visitors, acknowledging that the lifts are a problem.

Although the state broadcaster is struggling to cope with the financial pressure of its internal issues, it has several other economic problems to deal with.

One of these is the money owed to state-owned signal distributor Sentech.

Sentech CFO Rudzani Rasikhinya recently told the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Development and Trade that the SABC has yet to settle over R1 billion in debt accumulated since January 2023.

Sentech threatened the state broadcaster to cut off its broadcast signal due to non-payment of its debt.

However, communications minister Solly Malatsi intervened by facilitating a deal through which Sentech agreed not to cut the SABC’s broadcast signals for at least two months while exploring options for a long-term sustainability model.

As of 25 November, the SABC owed Sentech R1.12 billion, of which R1.05 billion dates back to the beginning of 2023.

Rasikhinya pointed out that this debt is constantly increasing. The SABC’s monthly billing of R68 million is in a shortfall of R17 million, as the state broadcaster only pays R51 million monthly.

“The SABC wanted the debt to be converted into a long-term loan, but the board did not approve that,” she said.

“We then proposed a payment plan to the SABC with payments starting in this quarter. However, we are yet to receive any payments.”

Rasikhinya highlighted that 94% of Sentech’s revenue is generated from its media broadcasting business, as it was established to be a signal distributor.

TV Licence failure

The SABC has had significant trouble with its funding model over recent years, with the TV licence reaching a non-compliance rate of 87% in 2024.

South Africa is formulating the SABC Bill to solve this issue, which will replace the Broadcasting Act of 1999 and introduce a new funding model.

However, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi withdrew the bill, first presented to parliament in 2023, in November, stating that it was “insufficient” to mitigate the state broadcaster’s dire financial sustainability.

This caused great controversy as many believed the bill should have been enacted and amended accordingly. However, Malatsi remains steadfast in his decision.

In the meantime, the minister said he would revise the SABC funding model so that the entity can sustain itself while the bill is in development.