SABC election coverage under pressure as funding shortfall sparks legal concerns

The SABC’s ability to adequately cover the November 4 local government elections is under scrutiny as a funding shortfall threatens to limit coverage, particularly for audiences who rely on the public broadcaster for news and information.

Media watchdog Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) has warned that the lack of funding is undermining the broadcaster’s ability to fulfil its mandate and could affect the wider elections process, with the organisation considering a possible legal challenge over the impact on South Africans’ rights.

“It’s a very damaging thing because the consequence means that for the people that rely on SABC for news and information, particularly African language speakers and in areas that aren’t the major urban metropoles, their ability to be informed is going to be significantly limited,” said MMA director William Bird.

“This is not something that should come as a surprise to government. I'm not sure why they didn't give them the money when they asked for it a year ago. It’s a real problem, and it’s fundamentally unacceptable,” he added.

MMA considers possible legal challenge

Bird said the MMA would release an interim report this week on media coverage.

“But at the moment, a lot of the coverage is on a level comparable to what was before, but it doesn't mean that they’ve been able to cover all of the town hall discussions and debates all around the country. So those issues are all going to be significantly limited, and that's a very real problem,” he said.

It is not clear whether Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will announce any allocation for the SABC during his medium-term budget policy statement on Wednesday, exactly two weeks before the November 4 election date.

Bird said South Africans’ rights were being limited and that his organisation was considering a potential course of action, including a court challenge.

He said he would meet SABC executives this week because the MMA needed the broadcaster to make the same argument. Otherwise, the organisation’s intended course of action was “unlikely to fly”.

A permanent solution, however, would be a new funding model for the SABC, as the current one has not been updated in more than 30 years, he said.

Political parties raise concerns over limited coverage

While SABC managers have told parliament they were confident of delivering successful election coverage, although it may be scaled down because of financial constraints, some political parties say they have already felt the impact of the broadcaster’s limited resources during election campaigns.

“It definitely has been our concern,” said EFF MP and spokesperson Sixolishe Gcilishe yesterday.

Gcilishe, who also serves on the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on communications, said she had previously asked the SABC whether it would be able to cover the elections without the extra funding.

“This was also informed by the fact that the EFF, after the proclamation of the elections, had three events addressed by our mayoral candidates, and they (SABC) couldn’t even make an excuse because all these events were in Gauteng.

“But because we know that they don't have money, and had written to the Minister of Communications to say they want R120m, we ask how it is going to affect us as political organisations?”

ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont also expressed dissatisfaction, saying a large amount of airtime was given to commissions of inquiry such as the Madlanga Commission, as well as cabinet ministers.

He said political parties, particularly those outside the government of national unity (GNU), had to scramble for the remaining airtime.

“To try and get a camera to go to anything that isn't part of the GNU is almost impossible. That's been something really unfair.”

Beaumont also proposed a permanent solution to the SABC’s funding problems, adding that the broadcaster should be allocated more money during an election year.

Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s Sydney Baloyi said the SABC served a purpose that no other broadcaster did and should uphold the rights of all South Africans by providing sufficient election coverage across all parties.

The broadcaster should therefore be adequately resourced to fulfil its mandate, Baloyi said.

SABC funding requirement revised to R495m

Responding to a parliamentary question last week, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi said the SABC initially identified an additional funding requirement of R120m for its coverage of the local government elections.

The figure was subsequently revised to R495m, comprising approximately R120m for broadcasting operations and R375m for related infrastructure.

Malatsi said that, recognising the importance of the SABC’s election-coverage obligations, he had engaged directly with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Godongwana regarding the broadcaster’s funding requirements.

“Following those engagements, it became clear that further work was required to substantiate the SABC’s funding needs, including the cost of delivering its public broadcasting mandate and the principal cost drivers underlying those requirements.

“I accordingly requested the SABC to provide detailed information on the costing of its public broadcasting mandate, the revenue attributable to its various mandate obligations, the financial consequences of compliance with those obligations, and the assumptions and evidence underpinning its forecasts,” he said.

Malatsi said his department had also pursued additional funding through the applicable government budgetary processes, although earlier submissions did not result in additional funding being allocated.

He said his department had undertaken a process to develop a revised, sustainable funding model for the SABC.