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.