SABC total blackout warning
SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli has warned that there is a real possibility of a blackout where Sentech switches off its transmitters due to unpaid debt.
She shared this information during a joint sitting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies on 16 July 2025.
“Because of the legacy debt from Sentech, we are at a point where they have indicated that they will start switching off transmitters,” she said.
When a TV or radio station’s transmitters are switched off, the station’s signal is not broadcast, which results in a loss of service.
That means people within the transmitter’s range will not be able to receive the station’s programming.
Therefore, if Sentech were to switch off the SABC’s transmitters, it would cause a total blackout of the state broadcaster.
This is not the first time there has been a warning about a total blackout of the SABC’s television and radio services.
Earlier this year, Media Monitoring Africa’s William Bird said the SABC was at risk of a blackout, with the government actively defunding the public broadcaster.
Bird explained that Sentech’s signal distribution is one of the most significant costs for the SABC, and in the case of state broadcasters, the government should cover these costs.
“It should be something that is covered by the state. However, the SABC is left to carry this enormous bill, and it’s one of the things that makes its model less sustainable,” said Bird.
“The scenario is catastrophic. You have the SABC’s finances plummeting. Yet, you have the government and Parliament failing to do their job.”
He added that the government’s failure to provide a bailout or a loan guarantee leaves the SABC in an impossible position.
“It’s not a stretch that we will be looking at a blackout,” he added. The broadcaster narrowly avoided a blackout in the past year, and this can become a reality.
The SABC in serious financial trouble
Chabeli told members of Parliament that there is no funding for the state broadcaster’s public interest mandate.
The business model is no longer fit for purpose. “It was designed for a world that no longer exists, and the SABC does not have the control to change,” she said.
She explained that making the SABC financially sustainable requires legislative and regulatory change.
This is because TV license fee compliance continues declining. The fees people pay have also remained static for years, and have a 40% cost of collection.
She further highlighted that there have been tectonic shifts in the marketplace and that global tech giants control advertising revenue — from traditional broadcast to digital media.
The situation has left the SABC with no access to capital or an overdraft to invest in what it needs to remain relevant and sustainable.
This has been exacerbated by the absence of loan guarantees from the National Treasury, despite the SABC’s sound governance and a clean audit.
“The SABC has no funding available for investment in content. It relies on repeats,” Chabeli told members of Parliament.
She explained that this leads to a downward spiral, as content is the prime driver of advertising and sponsorship support.
The lack of funding further means that the SABC cannot invest in new digital platforms and applications despite the demand and growth in this area.
She said the state broadcaster has exhausted its financial resources and that there is now a significant going-concern risk.
Chabeli warned that there will be significant reputational and public interest risk to the government if SABC fails.
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