TV licence price increase

The tariff increase was approved by the Ministry of Communication.

This will see the annual cost of a TV licence going up by R15 from R250 to R265.

The SABC’s spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said this was the fourth increase the SABC had been granted over the past 14 years, with the last one having been in 2009.

“Concessionary TV licences, granted to those over the age of 70 years as well as to receivers of social grants from the State, will be increased by a lenient R4 from R70 to R74 per annum.”

He said, in terms of the Broadcasting Act, no person or entity may have a television set in their possession or use without a valid and fully paid-up TV licence.

“What a television set is used for or which broadcaster’s programmes are being viewed makes no difference to the legal obligation for payment of TV licence fees. A television licence remains payable even if a set in one’s possession is not used at all.”

Kganyago said He said the national broadcaster received television licence revenue to enable it to provide locally produced radio and television programmes, in line with its public service mandate.

“The mandate of the SABC as a national public service broadcaster has become critical to South Africa as a developmental state. The SABC has to deliver on this mandate in a harsh economic environment characterised by fierce competition. Instrumental in delivering on this mandate is a sustainable funding model of which television licence fees contributes to as part of public funding,” Kganyago added.

The SABC will be embarking on an awareness and communication campaign aimed at informing the public of the new television licence tariffs.