Can the SABC be rescued?
Some see the public broadcaster’s spat with SA’s football supremos as further proof of its imminent demise. But to others its new board offers hope
COFFERS running dry, a fledgling leadership structure and a reputation so questionable it’s causing both viewers and staff to suffer – the drama and disarray dogging the SABC continue unabated. The recent debacle involving the beleaguered public broadcaster and the South African Football Association (Safa) has only served to highlight the sorry state of affairs.
It was recently announced no matches featuring Bafana Bafana or Banyana Banyana would be broadcast live on SABC because, Safa says, the SABC owes it millions for previous rights to the games.
To add insult to injury the SABC has announced it will air English Premier League matches on SABC3 on Saturday afternoons – a move slammed by Safa and Bafana Bafana.
The SABC says it struck a deal with the Premier League “to turn the broadcaster around”. But the timing is bizarre, critics say.
So what exactly is going on at Auckland Park?
Experts unpack the public broadcaster’s ongoing woes.
THE SAFA DEAL The SABC agreed to pay R10 million a month for the right to broadcast soccer matches, which would make up 60% to 70% of Safa’s revenue.
But the sporting body says the broadcaster failed to meet its financial obligations and fell several months behind in payments.
It reportedly now owes Safa more than R50 million.
Kaizer Kganyago, the SABC’s spokesperson until recently, said at the time the broadcaster could sort things out by “meeting with Safa to discuss this”.
But Gronie Hluyo, Safa’s chief financial officer, isn’t rushing to the party.
The SABC wants to sign a new contract but Safa is digging in its heels because the broadcaster “wants to reduce the amount they pay significantly”, Hluyo told TimesLive.
The money it’s owed has had a severe impact on Safa’s cash flow, Hluyo says. “We’re sitting with a deficit because of what’s going on at the SABC.”
THE NEW CREW IN CHARGE The financials make for appalling reading. Losses nearing the R1 billion mark for the 2016/2017 financial year. A 6% decrease in year-on-year revenue. Just R26 million in the bank but creditors are owed R694 million.
Then there’s the bill of R10 million in legal fees amassed in just one year. The SABC is fighting off legal challenges from many quarters, including from disgraced former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who’s challenging his dismissal and trying to get his hands on his withheld R8 million pension.
The man tasked with trying to refloat the Titanic is Bongumusa Makhathini, who was made SABC chairperson in October last year by then-president Jacob Zuma.
The Harvard business graduate’s appointment raised eyebrows at the time as he chaired the Bongi Ngema-Zuma Foundation, founded by and named after the former first lady.
Makhathini resigned from the founda-
‘For the first time since democracy we have a new board which . . . has a level of independence’
tion to avoid a conflict of interest and made it clear he was “not friends with the president”.
It wasn’t long before he started making changes. Madoda Mxakwe was appointed group chief executive officer and Yolande van Biljon chief financial officer.
Former eNCA presenter Chris Maroleng took over Motsoeneng’s position as chief operations officer.
William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa, believes while the SABC board now has a greater level of autonomy, the danger of outside meddling remains. “There’s little doubt politicians will try to exert influence,” he says.
But he’s hopeful. “For the first time since democracy we have a new board which, despite limitations, has a level of independence. That, combined with the appointment of capable, well-skilled people who have a real commitment to the corporation, are the strongest signs things will change.”
ALL KINDS OF TROUBLE The SABC has been in freefall since 2009 when financial statements reflected a loss of R910 million. Irene Charnley, interim board chairperson at the time, blamed poor leadership for the money woes.
She said “truthful leadership, commitment and time” would solve the SABC’s problems. “There are no quick fixes to a crisis of this magnitude.” Nearly a decade later the SABC is still flailing.
The corporation’s problems started during the transition phase, says Dudu-etsang Makuse, national coordinator of the Save Our SABC Coalition.
“The SABC started off as an institution in service of the previous apartheid machine,” she says. “During its transformation from state to public broadcaster a lot was done to shield it from being overtaken by external political and economic interests. But even early interventions had limits – and this is why the corporation is still dealing with problems.”
In 2009, then-finance minister Pravin Gordhan granted the cash-strapped broadcaster a government guarantee of R1,473 billion. Treasury made R1 billion available immediately but would release the remaining R473 million only if the broadcaster presented a clear plan of its revenue targets and cost-cutting measures. These conditions were never met and Makuse says it’s all down to poor leadership and rampant greed.
“The SABC has to deal with the impact of years of poor governance as well as politically driven ministers who sought to control the organisation and line their own pockets.”
The new board, she adds, has the mammoth task of turning the organisation around and fixing old problems while working towards the future.
WHAT CAN BE DONE? The strategy to save the SABC must be multipronged and multidimensional, Makuse says.
“Systemic and structural deficiencies need to be addressed or the SABC will find itself in a constant state of chaos. A sound strategy needs to be thrashed out by the board so those in charge can start unpacking problems at every level.”
Bird suggests the organisation rebrand itself and “establish an inquiry structure committed to investigating editorial interference and acting on it”.
THE KNOCK-ON EFFECTS The SABC can’t afford to commission new programmes, so the public suffers because there’s so little quality content, Makuse says.
Staff suffer too. Recently, the producers of SABC1’s Uzalo suspended production because the corporation had failed to pay the salaries of cast and crew.
Without the right skills and experience the SABC can’t run as it should, Bird adds.
The SABC must become attractive to advertisers again, says Lazola Kati of the Right2Know campaign. Advertisers buy ad spots for specific shows, but then the broadcaster shows something else without notice and must either refund the advertisers or give them another ad free – more money going out. And it will take a whole lot of change to turn things around.
EXTRA SOURCES: MAIL & GUARDIAN, THE CITIZEN, 702