SABC bill withdrawal praised as a win for civic activism

The withdrawal of the SABC bill comes amid activism by 37 civil society organisations that campaigned for it to be redrafted for the benefit of the country's public broadcaster.

The bill's withdrawal was announced by minister of communications and digital technologies Solly Malatsi, who said it failed to provide a credible funding model for the SABC’s long-term survival.

The SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, Media Monitoring Africa, and South African National Editors’ Forum said in a joint statement they had called for its withdrawal since the bill was first introduced in parliament in 2023. The coalition said its campaign gave the public a voice through petitions and garnered the support of 37 civil society organisations.

Problematic areas in the bill included that it was being pushed through in a policy vacuum, pending the finalisation of the draft white paper on audio and audiovisual media services and online content safety.

The bill would also have given the minister three years to develop a new funding model framework, rather than a funding model itself.

In the meanwhile it continued to provide for a cross-subsidisation model. The groupings said the model was "broken" that the public division of the SABC has produced more income than its commercial division for more than two decades.

The bill also created a commercial subsidiary that has its own board. The minister would have been granted veto powers over the appointment of the commercial board and leeway to interfere in the operations of the SABC, despite previous lessons on the "detrimental effects of ministerial interference in board affairs on the SABC’s independence and governance".

The organisations said there must be urgency in addressing the critical challenges faced by the SABC, including to ameliorate its "precarious" financial position.

"The campaign served as a powerful demonstration of collective action and a strong civil society voice in the crucial fight against the infringement of media freedom.

"The department must work in tandem with the industry and civil society to update the bill and should provide opportunities for working together for the benefit of public broadcasting in the public interest."

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