EFF strongly condemns the DA Minister Solly Malatsi for withdrawal of SABC Bill

11 November 2024

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) strongly condemns the Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi for withdrawing the SABC Bill.

The Bill aims to streamline the SABC Board and develop the funding model to make the entity more viable as a public broadcaster.

It is quite disturbing, but not surprising, that in his haste to withdraw the Bill, Malatsi has not even formally notified the Portfolio Committee that he is constitutionally obliged to account to. The Minister was scheduled to brief the Portfolio Committee on the 1 9th of November on the responses from the oral hearings that took place Bill, and now members of the committee had to find out about the withdrawal of the Bill from the media. Malatsi is basically showing the Portfolio Committee the middle finger through this disregard for parliamentary processes.

Our assessment is that his decision to withdraw this Bill has nothing to do with him exercising his Executive powers but has very much to do with pleasing White Monopoly Capital (WMC). His ill-advised decision is an attempt to frustrate processes that are currently underway and public hearings that have already taken place to get SABC on the right path as a public broadcaster whose mandate is to make its services available throughout the Republic.

The DA is actively working to undermine the SABC, deliberately preventing it from reaching its full potential. Their goal is to redirect advertising revenue away from the public broadcaster, strengthening the dominance of private broadcasters. This move will consolidate power in the hands of white-owned media giants like eNCA, which is controlled by eMedia, a subsidiary of Remgro, chaired by Johann Rupert, and reinforce the monopolistic grip of a few elite players in the media landscape. Malatsi is, therefore, evidently a puppet who is abusing his Ministerial powers to appease the sensibilities of the white supremacist DA handlers.

As the EFF we are not surprised by this systemic behaviour by DA Ministers to undermine processing of Bills for not so long ago the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube was ill-advised by the DA to boycott the signing of the BELA Bill into law, and today she is reminded of her constitutional obligation to implement the very same Bill she boycotted. This reckless behaviour and bulldozing of processes by these white supremacist DA Ministers within the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) reflects discord and is an indication of implosion within this neo-liberal arrangement.

Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 12 November 2024