Halting of SABC retrenchments welcomed

21 January 2019

The DA welcomes the move by the SABC for placing in abeyance the planned retrenchment of more than 2200 workers. The public broadcaster recently made the announcement, saying it reached an agreement with creditors.

We now reiterate our call for an independent skills and salary audit to be conducted, as we have done consistently in the past. It’s imperative that this takes place, so that critical posts are not simply abandoned and they remain filled. Retrenchments must be conducted in a responsible manner and a skills audit is critical to that process.

The DA is also requesting the details of the agreement with creditors and what the long-term plans are to turn the SABC around. The retrenchments might be in abeyance, but after elections the public broadcaster’s financial woes might continue should the SABC’s agreement only cover them until the elections. Therefore this issue is likely to return if the ANC government is still at the helm of the crisis. It’s important for voters to get details of the turn-around strategy before going to the polls later this year.

I further demand the ANC to prioritise the filling of the 8 vacancies on the SABC board. Despite an undertaking by the Portfolio Committee of Communications last year that the process of filling the 8 vacancies would begin in early January 2019, this has not happened.

It is in the best interest of the SABC that these vacancies be filled urgently. We need the board to return to its full capacity and for stability to return to struggling SABC.

Issued by Phumzile Van Damme, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, 21 January 2019