SABC Secures R704 Million in Government Funding, But It’s Not a Bailout, Says Minister

SABC Gets R704 Million Over Medium-Term, Minister Rejects ‘Bailout’ Label

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) will receive R704 million in funding over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), Communications Minister Solly Malatsi confirmed during his Budget Vote speech on Friday, 11 July 2025.

Breaking down the figures, Malatsi said the public broadcaster will receive:

• R43 million for programme production,

• R464 million to support the core public broadcasting mandate, and

• R197 million allocated to Channel Africa.

But the minister was quick to dispel media claims that this amounts to a bailout.

“This is not a bailout. It’s a budget allocation to support a severely underfunded public broadcaster that’s expected to fulfil a wide-ranging national mandate,” said Malatsi in a follow-up interview with SABC News.

A Mandate Without the Means

Malatsi stressed that the SABC’s financial crisis is rooted in an outdated funding model and growing expectations from both government and the public.

“The public broadcasting mandate has expanded significantly, yet the financial support hasn’t kept pace,” he said.

“There’s an expectation for the SABC to cover national events, sports, and elections, but these require significant resources we don’t currently have.”

With local government elections looming in 2026, the minister warned that the broadcaster will struggle to ensure fair coverage for all political parties without additional support.

Fixing the Broken TV Licence System

One of the biggest contributors to the SABC’s losses has been its ineffective TV licence collection system. To tackle this, Malatsi announced that the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies will soon issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a new funding model.

“We are asking the market for sustainable, fair, and practical solutions to replace the current TV licence regime,” Malatsi explained.

While previous proposals have included a household levy, the minister said they are open to exploring other ideas — including levies on streaming services such as Netflix and Showmax.

However, he cautioned that these ideas will need Cabinet input.

“It wouldn’t be fair to gauge support for such a levy yet. The RFP will guide us, and Cabinet will ultimately decide,” he said.

Public Funding, Public Service

At the heart of the minister’s message was a reminder that public broadcasting is a public service and the public must help fund it.

“A public broadcaster exists because it is funded by the public. The real question is: what’s the most equitable way to ensure that support?”

Malatsi hopes the new model will allow the SABC to remain a vital source of news, culture, and democracy , without the constant threat of collapse.

{Source: My Broad Band}

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