SABC wants to increase TV licences, but DA says no way

In a statement on Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance said it would fight the financially embattled SABC’s proposal to increase TV licence fees.

Briefing the select committee on public enterprises and communications in the National Council of Provinces earlier in the day, the SABC’s CFO, Yolande van Biljon, stated that a proposal to increases TV licence fees had been drafted and sent to Minister of Communications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The DA said they were opposed to any additional, in essence, “taxation of already overburdened South African taxpayers, as well as those who are impoverished and struggling to put food on the table”.

They called on the public broadcaster to find new revenue streams to stay afloat instead of imposing increases to TV licence fees.

The DA’s Phumzile Van Damme said the SABC needed to find innovative measures to strengthen their collection of revenue as poor South Africans would, without doubt, be unlikely to afford any increases in licence fees.

“The SABC must position itself as a trustworthy and properly managed entity to encourage current TV licence holders to make payments.

“Furthermore, the broadcaster should explore purchasing content that will attract viewers – by doing so, they will see an increase in advertising revenue. Advertising makes out the bulk of the SABC’s revenue, and an increase in advertising will surely be a boost for the SABC.

“We look forward to feedback regarding funding of the SABC – especially given the fact that the public broadcaster is still reeling from the financial consequences of well-chronicled years of mismanagement, looting and governance failures.”

Van Damme said the public should not have to pay for the SABC’s “sins” through additional TV licence fees.

“We trust that the current SABC management will prove its mettle, by steering the SABC to a profitable position.”

(Edited by Charles Cilliers)

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