Parliament Committee, Malatsi discuss SABC election coverage funding
Parliament’s Communications and Digital Technologies Portfolio Committee has met with Communications Minister Solly Malatsi for an update, on the SABC’s request for R120 million, to fund coverage of the Local Government Elections (LGE).
Last week, MPs were told the request was denied, due to a lack of technical compliance in the submission.
Malatsi says he has written to National Treasury, as well as the Presidency, to look at avenues to resolve the situation.
Members of the committee are not happy about the lack of funding for the SABC to fulfil its Constitutional mandate.
They say this money is for the SABC to cover the election season with enough scope and depth and to ensure all parties get equitable coverage in the run-up to the fourth of November elections.
“The people of South Africa need to be sufficiently informed through the public broadcaster.
It has to fulfil a public mandate that as we speak insofar as election coverage is unfunded,” says Imraan Subrathie from the ANC.
“It’s the right of the voters not to be deprived of the right to choose a political party that will run the Local Government.” Says Alco Ngobese from IFP.
Last week, the Department of Communications told MPs, the SABC’s request for election funding was turned down because it was late, and because Minister Solly Malatsi said it did not meet technical compliance requirements.
The SABC denied that the submission was late, and the committee has called for a timeline of the process from the Department.
“The minister has to give us the answers because he works directly with his subordinates, he’s the one who makes the final call, when he says he can’t give the money,” says Adil Nchabeleng from MKP.
Committee Chair Khusela Sangoni says they are trying to avoid a situation where political parties, and independent candidates accuse government of not providing funding, thereby denying them equitable coverage.
Malatsi defended his department.
“There is no party who will benefit from the absence of depth and massive scope of coverage from elections, none.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.sabcnews.com — the content belongs to SABC News.
