By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Communications & digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi is at loggerheads with the chair of the parliamentary committee, Khusela Diko over the oversight of his department on his withdrawal of the SABC bill.
The bill had been tabled in parliament by former communications minister Mondli Gungubele, who now serves as deputy minister under Malatsi.
The bill had been widely criticised by leading industry, civil society and media groups, which were united in calling for the bill to be withdrawn and for policy to be finalised before it was tabled again.
For those unfamiliar with the political landscape, Malatsi is a member of the Democratic Alliance, while Gungubele and Diko are members of the ANC. Their parties are partners in the government of national unity.
In terms of cooperative governance, it would have been preferable for the minister to discuss the bill’s withdrawal with his deputy and the committee chair before making his decision, even though he is not legally required to do so.
Malatsi wrote to Parliament speaker Thoko Didiza this past week, telling the legislature that he was withdrawing the “totally flawed” bill.
He said he had invoked his discretionary powers as minister to cancel the bill after wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders and reviewing public submissions to Parliament’s communications portfolio committee.
Malatsi believes the bill had no credible funding model, a view shared by several broadcasting experts, former SABC executives, and media watchdogs such as Media Monitoring Africa and the SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition.
“This approach does not meet the urgency required to stabilise the broadcaster and risks perpetuating an outdated licensing structure that will not provide the SABC with the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate,” Malatsi said.
Among the bill’s proposals was that the communications minister develop a new sustainable framework for funding the broadcaster within three years of the bill’s adoption.
The portfolio committee considered potential amendments based on industry feedback after the draft legislation was first published, but Malatsi contends it is not reworkable.
“I believe that trying to amend the bill is not right,” Malatsi said. “Instead, the urgent development and implementation of a sustainable financial model will be prioritised.”
In response, Diko said she regarded the minister’s decision as “highly ill-advised and it is no exaggeration to say it would sound the death knell for the SABC”.
“The absence of this bill creates a serious legislative vacuum that has dire consequences,” Diko said, criticising Malatsi’s decision to bypass the committee and parliamentary protocol.
The challenges facing the SABC require a considered and urgent response, not trigger-happy action, which serves no purpose but to frustrate and disrupt processes already under way,” she said.
Diko emphasised the importance of moving forward with the bill to stabilise the SABC.
“To withdraw the bill at this stage means to delay the implementation of crucial reforms necessary to save yet another crucial and strategic public institution,” she added. “The committee has been at pains to put in place a fast-tracked process to finalise the SABC Bill.”
Diko also warned of the far-reaching consequences of the SABC’s potential collapse, particularly for the country’s media landscape.
The SABC has reported repeated annual financial losses over the past decade as it struggles to compete with viewers’ shift from traditional linear TV broadcasting to streaming services.
In its 2024 financial year, it posted a roughly R200 million loss, which came on the back of a R1.13-billion loss in the previous year.
Meanwhile speaking on Monday at the Ministerial Forum 2024, Malatsi has said electrification through renewable energy sources is key to the adoption of digital services in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.
The Ministerial Forum 2024 — an event hosted by the department of communications & digital technologies in collaboration with the Africa Telecommunications Union ahead of Africa Tech Week in Cape Town — Malatsi said promoting digital inclusion in Africa must be preceded by universal access to electrification.
“Digital technologies are now an essential facilitator for social inclusion. They allow for the delivery of real-time services that enable individuals to learn to work and live without being subject to any social barriers,” Malatsi said. “However, we cannot ignore the reality that Africa still remains one of the least electrified regions in the world.”
According to the minister, more than half a billion people in Africa, the majority of whom live in rural areas, will remain without power by 2030. Only eight African countries are expected to achieve universal electricity access by 2030 and, in some parts of the continent full electrification could take over 100 years, he said.
Malatsi said the opportunities for upward mobility and economic inclusion presented by digital technologies are counterbalanced by the risk of further exacerbating the wealth gap between the connected and unconnected if digital infrastructure does not reach those in poor, rural and outlying communities.