South Africa’s public broadcaster has warned that it may be unable to deliver adequate coverage of the upcoming local government elections after national treasury declined a request for R120 million in dedicated funding, raising concerns about the broadcaster’s capacity to fulfil its democratic mandate. According to TechCentral, the SABC informed parliament’s portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies that applications submitted through both the adjustment budget and medium-term expenditure framework processes were unsuccessful, prompting lawmakers to escalate the matter to the finance minister.
SABC executives told MPs that without additional funding the broadcaster lacks the operational capacity to provide nationwide election coverage, including voter education and regulated airtime for hundreds of contesting political parties. Management indicated that the scale of local government elections requires extensive deployment of infrastructure and personnel across provinces, and warned that resource constraints could undermine inclusive participation. As reported by News24, the Electoral Commission expects a large field of political parties, intensifying demands on broadcast time and logistical coordination.
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The funding dispute has triggered cross-party concern within parliament, with committee members describing the situation as irregular for a public broadcaster tasked with supporting electoral processes. Legislators have proposed direct engagement with the treasury and other parliamentary committees to secure emergency funding ahead of the national budget. Communications minister Solly Malatsi indicated that discussions with treasury were continuing and noted that previous election cycles had received special allocations.
The election funding challenge emerges as the SABC continues to manage structural financial pressures, including unresolved questions around its long-term funding model and a substantial debt owed to signal distributor Sentech. According to Reuters, public broadcasters globally are grappling with rising operational costs and declining traditional revenue streams, forcing governments to reconsider funding frameworks to sustain public-interest media services. Despite these pressures, the SABC has recently reported moderate revenue growth and consecutive unqualified audit outcomes, suggesting incremental operational stabilisation even as immediate funding gaps threaten its election readiness.
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