Minister steps in on Safa, SABC crisis

Sport minister Tokozile Xasa has asked the department’s director-general Alec Moemi to defuse the deepening broadcast rights crisis by mediating in the standoff between the SA Football Association (Safa) and the SABC.

The broadcast contract expired in April and negotiations reached an impasse a few days ago after the public broadcaster offered a paltry R10m a year to the rights to Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana matches.

Moemi said Xasa had asked him to mediate between the two parties and his first step would be to evaluate the value of the rights according to international standards. “The minister has asked me to mediate between the two parties and we have agreed on a process. The first and important part of that process is to evaluate these rights.”

“Both Safa and SABC have issued their own independent statements regarding this matter but they are worlds apart.

“SABC is asking for the previous contract to be restored‚ Safa have their own valuation and this has led to this situation.

“We have flagged the issue of Bafana Bafana and the SABC and we have asked both parties to agree to government mediation.

“The key issue is what is really the value of these rights?

“We will subject the rights to scrutiny and an evaluation process by an independent party and the true figure of those rights will be a point of departure. It will take us some time and we ask the public to please accept and understand that.”

As a result of the standoff‚ the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Bafana and Seychelles was not broadcast on SABC and Moemi said a lasting solution must be found urgently.