POLITICS

SABC's move to retrench 2000 workers disgusting - EFF

Fighters say ANC responsible for bad state of public broadcaster's finances

EFF STATEMENT ON SABC RETRENCHMENTS

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

The EFF notes, with disgust, SABC's move to retrench more than 2000 workers. The SABC has confirmed that is it technically insolvent and sees these retrenchments as a move to recover from total collapse.

The state of SABC finances must be placed squarely in the hands of the ANC government. It is the ANC which imposed, sustained and guided Hlaudi Motsoeneng's loot of the SABC. It is also the ANC's Treasury that is refusing to give SABC a guarantee letter so they can go and get help from commercial lenders. This is responsible for why SABC cannot help but cut off workers, and subject thousands of lives to the rising tide of hopeless unemployment.

We call on the minister of finance to step in with an urgent intervention by giving the SABC a guarantee letter so that it can mobilize funds that can save it from retrenching thousands of workers. It is clear that the current Minister of Communications has done nothing to persuade and fight for the SABC to be saved or given a letter of guarantee by Treasury.

Nothing is more devastating than a weak public broadcaster towards national elections. In fact, the greatest threat to our democracy is a weak public broadcaster, not saving it will result into the entire provision of television and radio services in private profit driven hands.

Finally, we call on 'CASA to change the Must Carry Regulations which allow Multichoice to carry the SABC free to air channels at no cost. The SABC could be making over R400 million a year from Multichoice for charging people on their platform to watch the three SABC Free-to-Air channels.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 31 October 2018