R1.2bn SABC loan secures Bafana match
Broadcaster to show Bafana v Libya qualifier
After getting a government bailout this week, the SABC has insisted it will broadcast Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Bafana Bafana and Libya at Moses Mabhida Stadium despite financial woes.
Last month SA Football Assocation [Safa] chief executive Dennis Mumble said attempts to negotiate a new Bafana and Banyana Banyana contract had hit a dead end as the SABC owes Safa over R50million from the previous agreement that ended in April.
SABC, however, confirmed to the Sowetan on Wednesday that it had since engaged Safa and the match will be on “your screens”. Pay channel SuperSport had already confirmed it would beam the game live.
“We will broadcast the match live on SABC1, our African language radio stations and Radio 2000,” confirmed Neo Momodu, SABC’s spokesperson.
The SABC’s financial difficulties are well documented. However, Communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane has announced that the broadcaster has a credit extension, which means it can approach banking institutions for a loan of R1.2-billion, which will ease its financial burden.
Momodu confirmed that SABC has engaged its creditors to ensure that they are on the same page with regards to how they will pay them the money they owe.
“We’ve been consistently saying we are going through financial difficulty and, actually, it has gone beyond difficult, it’s dire,” Momodu said.
“We got a letter from the government to say that we can go and borrow up to R1.2-billion. But it doesn’t mean that we’ve got the cash in our account.
“So our situation is still the same as a few months ago. From a Safa perspective, we have ongoing discussions with them about keeping the relationship going,” she said.
Questions have been raised as to how the SABC is able to raise money for the rights to broadcast English Premier League matches when they are in financial difficulties. Momodu shed some light. “Generally, local content is
‘‘ We have some finacial difficulties; it’s actually dire
more expensive than international content, and let me put that into perspective: international content comes to you packaged already and local content means that you have to produce it from scratch.
“As much as EPL is prestigious, it was a necessity from a strategic, survival mode of the SABC to attract audiences who come with advertisers. I can assure you that it didn’t cost as much as people perceive,” she added.