Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, African National Congress, ANC, TV licences, household levy, SABC

Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stated that the ANC has proposed scrapping TV licences and introducing a household levy. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

ANC pushing for the scrapping of TV licences – here’s why…

The ANC is pushing for the scrapping of TV licences in South Africa and is leaning towards introducing a household levy.

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, African National Congress, ANC, TV licences, household levy, SABC

Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stated that the ANC has proposed scrapping TV licences and introducing a household levy. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni revealed that the African National Congress (ANC) has proposed scrapping TV licences.

ANC in favour of a ‘household levy’

Minister Ntshavheni stated that the party is in favour of a broadcasting household levy. She was speaking at a post-ANC policy conference. The Minister stated that the ruling party believes the TV licence scheme was not working adding that the broadcasting secret needs to be strengthened.

“We need to strengthen the broadcasting sector, in particular, the public broadcaster must be strengthened. The proposal raises the issue that ‘the SABC has bought the commercial mandate and also the public mandate’. In the public mandate, we want the SABC to be funded from the national fiscal [but the party is] also proposing a broadcasting household levy.

“The TV licence arrangement is not working, it is actually affecting the SABC’s ability to survive,”

said Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

SABC needs to fulfil a developmental role – Ntshavheni

In March, the board chairperson at the SABC Bongumusa Makhathini stated that TV licences needed to be replaced. It seems the ANC and SABC are working with the same mindset.

Speaking more about the SABC, Ntshavheni noted that the broadcaster needs to fulfil a developmental role, reports TimesLIVE. The Minister stated that the education channel must be used optimally and also spoke about the introduction of health and history channels.

“The children’s channel must also be introduced and those must be funded by the national fiscals,” she said.

South Africans shun TV licences – SABC planning ‘media levy’ instead

Previously, it was reported that up to 82% of registered TV licence owners have refused to pay up, forcing the SABC to take desperate measures. This includes a mandatory “media levy” for all South Africans – irrespective of whether you watch SABC or own a TV.

Despite licences being mandatory for TV owners in SA, the SABC is having difficulty in forcing viewers to pay up.

According to its annual report, more than two-thirds of owners have ignored requests to pay the annual licence fee. And the number is drastically increasing each year. Read the full story here.