Carrim must explain SABC's authority to jump the gun on Cabinet decision
Communications Minister Yunus Carrim must explain how the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC's) Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hlaudi Motsoeneng, has announced the public broadcaster's decision to abandon the need for an access control system on the set-top boxes (STBs), before Cabinet has decided on the matter.
It is unacceptable that a public servant can unilaterally decide on government policy - and expose the SABC to potentially damaging legal challenges - before Cabinet has decided on the matter.
Minister Carrim told media last week that he would soon present to Cabinet his department's recommendations on the digital migration policy review started by his predecessor. Part of this review was to determine the need for an access control system on the set-top boxes which is needed to view its programmes once digital broadcasting is switched on.
In July Acting COO Motsoeneng signed a deal with MultiChoice that included a clause stating that, should SABC's free-to-air channels be made available on the SABC DTT platforms on an encrypted basis, MultiChoice could cancel the R553 million due to SABC for airing its 24-hour news and entertainment channels on its platform.
This deal was signed while the Department of Communications' policy review was in progress and Minister Carrim has recently again confirmed that the digital migration policy was still being reviewed.