The South African Broadcasting Corporation building in Sea Point, Cape Town, taken on 13 December 2009. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Zaian
SABC bailout: DA demands answers regarding R3.2 billion handout
DA wants financial report of the SABC bailout.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation building in Sea Point, Cape Town, taken on 13 December 2009. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Zaian
The Democratic Alliance is requesting that the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies; Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to instantly provide a fully detailed report on the financial support given to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
The government gives an R3.2 billion bailout to SABC
It was confirmed yesterday that the government is coming to the aid of SABC and lending a helping hand with an R3.2 billion bailout. In Finance Minister; Tito Mboweni’s parliamentary announcement, Mboweni noted that the government will support the broadcaster.
During Mboweni’s speech in Parliament, he provided minimal detail on the financial support the government pledges to SABC. The DA is requesting a fully detailed report on financial support.
Who is responsible for the answers?
The DA further requests that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams, under whose portfolio the SABC resides, to provide the public and parliament with full information.
“The DA believes that Parliament, to whom the SABC is accountable, must be provided with the full details and importantly, Treasury’s full pre-conditions so it can exercise its oversight to ensure that the conditions are indeed being met and the funding is not being mismanaged to prevent the SABC from finding itself in yet another financial crisis.”
Phumzile Van Damme DA MP
They demand a report back o the following:
- The full details and amounts of the tranches of funding that will be provided to the SABC.
- The full details related to the position of the CRO, which must not infringe on the SABC’s independence.
- The conditions related to the provision of the funding with clear deliverables, deadlines and accountability mechanisms.
Phumzile Van Damme, a DA MP has written a letter to the Chairperson of the Committee, Hope Papo, requesting for an urgent meeting to be held regarding this SABC bailout funding report.
“It is imperative that the staff of the SABC who have been living their lives on the edge fearing the loss of their jobs and income to be provided with full information. Similarly, those of our country who rely on the SABC for education, entertainment and information need to be assured that the SABC’s radio and TV stations will not be off-air.”
Phumzile Van Damme DA MP
