SABC must fulfil its crucial public interest role

The SABC is once again in a mess. It requires a R3bn bank guarantee from the government before it runs out of cash. The SABC board has been left close to paralysis by the resignation of four board members after the minister of communications meddled in an operational matter. This parlous state of affairs is a matter for grave concern since it affects us all.

The SABC is by far the most powerful media outlet in the country. Most citizens get their news and information from SABC radio and television broadcasts, which reach about 38 million listeners and close to 20 million viewers each week.

Thanks to various legislation and recent court rulings, the SABC is also, at least theoretically, one of the most independent public broadcasters in the world. However, the ruling party has had a great deal of trouble respecting that the SABC is neither a state broadcaster, nor Radio Freedom.

As a public broadcaster, the SABC by definition must be driven by public interest. This means it should deliver news in an independent and impartial manner in line with every citizen’s right of access to information. This is crucial to democracy, ensuring voters can access a range of viewpoints and information not necessarily provided by commercial media.

Communications minister Stella NdabeniAbrahams appears to have overstepped the mark by intervening to stop the SABC board from conducting large-scale retrenchments.

But trying to get the SABC to function along the lines of a commercial entity is a highly questionable endeavour. Public broadcasting is not a business but a service to the nation. The SABC’s downturn in fortunes is attributable to the changed media landscape. The depressed economic climate, lack of expertise and political interference have compounded the problems.

Saving the public broadcaster matters far more than rescuing SAA, which recently received a bailout. Treasury will simply have to provide the guarantees and the ruling party will have to learn to stand at arm’s length from day-to-day affairs at the SABC, which meanwhile needs to reprioritise its spending so it can produce quality local programming.

The SABC can live up to its mandate with the right support and commitment from all quarters.

As a public broadcaster, the SABC by definition must be driven by public interest