Minister allegedly interferes in SABC board selection

Former communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni allegedly interfered with the process to appoint the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board, Sunday Times reports.

It is alleged that the former communications minister questioned the inclusion of the broadcaster’s former head of news Phathiswa Magopeni in the list of candidates recommended to Parliament.

Magopeni was fired in January 2022 following a disciplinary hearing involving the airing of an interdicted Special Assignment episode.

Ahead of her dismissal, Magopeni accused the ANC of political interference at the public broadcaster.

She filed a complaint against former SABC chair Bongumusa Makhathini and SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe over alleged interference in editorial policy.

Magopeni alleged that Makhathini and Mxakwe sided with the ANC after she laid a complaint at the IEC, accusing the ruling party of breaching the electoral code of conduct.

Her complaint said senior ANC officials, including Jessie Duarte and Fikile Mbalula, allegedly intimidated and verbally abused SABC journalists.

When she did not comply with the ANC’s alleged demands to alter the SABC’s coverage, Magopeni alleged Mxakwe and Makhathini began to sabotage her.

According to a letter from Parliament’s communications portfolio committee chair Boyce Maneli to National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Ntshavheni raised concerns that including Magopeni as an SABC board candidate goes against corporate governance laws.

Ntshavheni has since been appointed as minister to The Presidency responsible for state security as part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle on 6 March 2023.

Ntshavheni and Mondli Gungubele effectively switched roles, with Gungubele taking up the post of communications minister.

However, it should be noted that Ntshavheni’s responsibilities in her new role aren’t identical to her predecessor’s.

Ramaphosa split the position of minister to the Presidency. During his tenure in the post, Gungubele was responsible for state security, planning, monitoring, and evaluation.

Ramaphosa appointed a dedicated ministry within the Presidency for planning, monitoring, and evaluation to focus more on the government’s performance. Maropene Ramokgopa holds the ministerial position.

Bleak SABC forecast

Once appointed, SABC board members will have to deal with the broadcaster’s grim financial situation.

The SABC’s 2022/23 financial year forecast painted a bleak picture, with the broadcaster predicting that overall revenue will come in R1 billion below budget.

The broadcaster presented its forecast during a sitting of the portfolio committee on communications held on Tuesday, 29 November 2022.

SABC chief financial officer Yolande van Biljon said the bleak forecast is largely the result of underperformance in advertising revenue and TV licence fee collection.

“The projected de-risk loss at this point amounts to an anticipated R608 million versus the budgeted profit for the year of R64 million,” Van Biljon said.

“The main reason is the consistent underperformance in our advertising revenue as well as TV licence revenue which has consistently also not lived up to expectations.”

The broadcaster also said the savings anticipated from the analogue switch-off haven’t materialised, with distribution costs running higher than budgeted.

Van Biljon added that the SABC’s primetime audience is on a downward trajectory.

In May 2022, the broadcaster revealed that its waning audience had contributed to R600 million in losses over the past two years.

The TV licence collection fee issue has plagued the broadcaster for some time, with evasion rates hitting 82% in 2021.

“Overall, 2,2m (2020: 2,5m) licence holders managed to settle their television licence fees in full or in part against a known database of 10,3m (2020: 9,5m) television licence holders,” the SABC said in its 2021 annual report.

“The licence fee collection rates indicate an evasion rate of 82% (2020: 81%.).” The licence fee evasion rate sat a 69% in 2019.

Several entities have proposed scrapping the current TV licence scheme in favour of a household tax to rectify the issue.

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