The portfolio committee on communication met in parliament on Tuesday to discuss plans to save the SABC, with deputy communications minister Pinky Kekana urging South Africans to pay their TV licenses.
Kekana said: “We know that the main revenue stream around the SABC has been [the] paying of TV licences. And that has not been happening for quite some time. Whatever movie or soapie you see, and all other activities, it means we must pay 76 cents a day as viewers and that has not been happening.”
But South Africans have taken to social media to voice their disapproval at calls for them to cough up.
Political and media consultant Makhosini Nkosi said the SABC should be “cash-flush” due to owning “big properties” including SABC1, Metro FM, 5FM and Ukhozi FM and shouldn’t need to “complain” about unpaid TV licenses.
Several users have suggested that, if you are a DStv subscriber, paying for your TV license on top of that is excessive, with some suggesting that the SABC get Multichoice to pay rather than individuals.
