‘It’s not Mr Malatsi’s bill’: Ntshavheni says SABC Bill withdrawn without Cabinet’s approval

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the SABC Bill was withdrawn without Cabinet’s approval.

Ntshavheni held a media briefing on Wednesday regarding Cabinet meeting outcomes.

Ntshavheni on SABC Bill withdrawal

There the minister said that Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi did not have the authority to retract the SABC Bill without prior consent from Cabinet.

“The SABC Bill is not a private member’s bill, it’s not Mr Malatsi’s bill.

“It’s a bill of Cabinet and the executive. So, in the law, he cannot withdraw it without coming to Cabinet to agree to its withdrawal.

“The bill was submitted to Parliament after it was approved by Cabinet,” Ntshavheni said.

ALSO READ: Withdrawal of bill spells ‘death knell’ for SABC, warns Diko

She indicated that the withdrawal would be addressed at the next Cabinet meeting.

“There’s no minister that can withdraw any bill which has been approved by Cabinet, unless it’s a private member’s bill.

“Whatever the limitations the minister may find in the bill, he must come and convince Cabinet to say ‘there are these limitations in the bill and for this reason, these are the amendments I want to make and therefore, I’m requesting Cabinet to concur with me to withdraw that bill’,” the minister said.

“It was not discussed in Cabinet and it’s not his bill, it’s what we call an executive bill. The rules and laws are very clear on how that gets treated and we will address it as such.”

SABC Bill opposed

The SABC Bill was tabled in Parliament by Communications Deputy Minister Mondli Gungubele in October 2023 to replace the outdated Broadcasting Act of 1999.

The draft legislation proposed a new funding model for the SABC, to be developed within three years of enactment.

It also proposed replacing the current TV licence fee with a household levy.

READ MORE: ‘Flawed’ Bill delayed: Can SABC be saved?

The bill faced significant opposition from civil society organisations, including Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), and AfriForum, as well as from major broadcasters like MultiChoice and eTV.

Critics argued the bill failed to address key funding issues for the SABC, which has struggled financially for years.

Concerns were also raised about the proposed legislation potentially undermining the broadcaster’s independence by granting the minister increased control over board appointments.

2026 municipal elections

Earlier, the minister revealed that Cabinet has approved the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) to oversee preparations for the 2026 local government elections.

The committee will be headed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Velenkosini Hlabisa and consist of other relevant departments.

“The IMC will work with the IEC and other relevant bodies towards ensuring that the process in leading up to the local government elections is smooth and peaceful,” Ntshavheni said.

She confirmed that the next municipal elections will be held between 2 November 2026 and 1 February 2027.

Municipal Coalitions Bill

A new piece of legislation is being developed to help stabilise coalition governments in municipalities ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

The Municipal Coalitions Bill, discussed in parliament last week, is expected to be formally tabled by Cogta in July 2025.

Key provisions in the bill include introducing legally binding coalition agreements, setting a minimum threshold of 1% of votes for a council seat, limiting no-confidence votes to occur by a show of hands only after two years, and replacing mayoral executive systems with a collective executive approach in hung councils.

NOW READ: ‘We don’t have to get above 50%’: Zille says DA just needs to be biggest party in 2026 elections

Asked whether the bill would be signed into law in time for the elections, Ntshavheni highlighted that the legislation would still have to go through the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

“Before we talk about it being signed, we must talk about it being processed and finalised by Parliament before then,” she said.

“After the two Houses have considered the bill we can ask if it will be signed before the 2026 [elections].

“We are now putting the horse before the cart and it’s really unfair to ask me what the formula looks like. I think we need to engage with the proposal.”