ANC says suspension of retrenchment process at SABC must be indefinite

He says the SABC needs to contribute towards media diversity and that it can only do so if it retains the skills at its employ.

Political parties outside SABC offices in Johannesburg on 19 November 2020. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

Speaking to reporters at the Communications Workers Union (CWU) strike at the SABC in Auckland Park, African National Congress (ANC) spokesperson Pule Mabe said though the governing party welcomes the public broadcaster’s suspension of their proposed retrenchment process, the halting of this process should be indefinite.

#SABCRetrenchments | “No retrenchments. The employees of the SABC must be protected,” the ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe addresses the crowd pic.twitter.com/4Uji4a0YQB

— Sine (@Sine_Madolo) November 20, 2020

The SABC’s board announced on Friday morning that it had taken the decision to suspend the organisations’s retrenchment process, which would have seen around 400 people retrenched, for seven days.

Mabe said retrenchments at the SABC would result in people in far-flung areas of the country being deprived of information.

ALSO READ: Bemawu demands SABC withdraw retrenchment letters

“We have learned that the management, the board of the SABC has since suspended what they wanted to do, we do welcome that but we think and believe that the postponement of such an action must be indefinite. The SABC needs to contribute towards media diversity, it can only do so if it retains, repackages the skills that are found within the public broadcaster,” Mabe told reporters.

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe has just arrived outside the SABC he says the party supports the plight of SABC staff.#SABCRetrenchments @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/g64wU538zn

— KAYLEEN MORGAN (@ietskaylo) November 20, 2020

Meanwhile, by Thursday, the EFF had called for the SABC board to be disbanded and for the public broadcaster’s CEO and COO to be suspended.

The red berets further called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the structuring of the salary packages of the current board and its executive.

Scores of protesters marched to the SABC, Auckland Park, where speakers were scheduled to address them before the CWU’s memorandum of demands was to be handed over.

#SABCRetrenchments | “Here on stage we ha e those who are victimizing our workers. They are here comrades”, crowd unhappy about the arrival of SABC management pic.twitter.com/tYdAIfTlAB

— Sine (@Sine_Madolo) November 20, 2020

The CWU and the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) are calling for the SABC to withdraw the dismissal letters issued to staffers this week.