No decision on SABC bailout

Government is not considering a financial bailout of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) just yet, but negotiations are continuing.

Briefing the media yesterday after Cabinet’s first meeting after President Jacob Zuma’s reshuffle last month, Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo emphatically denied that the cashstrapped public broadcaster’s financial issues was a subject that Cabinet’s discussed.

“Discussions about assistance may or may not result in financial bailout,” she said.

Even though Cabinet had not discussed the state of the SABC, which reportedly needs at least R1 billion to stay afloat, Dlodlo said the department was in talks with the national broadcaster.

Chairperson of the SABC interim board Khanyisile Kweyama earlier this week reportedly told EWN there were doubts that staff would get their pay cheques at the end of this month.

Another elephant in the room was the nuclear deal, which the Western Cape High Court this week ruled was unlawful and unconstitutional.

Cabinet, which is government’s highest decision-making body, did not have on its agenda the judgment scuppering the nuclear build programme, the reshuffle or the ratings agencies’ downgrades.

Asked about the reshuffle, Dlodlo said: “Cabinet welcomed the new ministers and it ended at that. [They did not discuss] why it had to happen.”

She downplayed an alleged assassination plot by a suspect who appeared in court yesterday.

“A coup being plotted against our government? I do not know … Once information is available it will be shared with me. However, right now no information has been shared with me,” she said.

Cabinet did, however, brief the media on the successful hosting of the International Federation of Library Association’s annual World Library and Information Congress held in Cape Town in 2015.