KHANYISILE MAEPA, Mbabane | Monday
THE shift by SABC television from analogue to digital broadcasting has left thousands of Swazis cut off from their favorite channels – and reinforced calls for media diversity in the tiny kingdom.
The South African broadcaster switched off its SABC 3 analogue service on September 11, and will cut off the remaining analogue services over the next three weeks.
The broadcaster has over the past few months advised viewers to replace their analogue decoders with digital ones. However, many Swazis are unable to afford the shift and are consequently being cut off.
“I knew I had to make the shift, but I did not. Now the cost of a digital decoder has gone up from R1 800 last month to R2 400,” moaned Mbabane resident Futhi Siyaya.
Swazis are particularly partial to SABC 1 and SABC 3 because they run ‘Generations’ and ‘Isidingo’, soap operas revolving around urban life in the ‘new’ South Africa.
Media watchers say the sadness that has marked the switching off SABC services for most television owners in the country underscores the inadequacies of Swazi television.
“It is also no secret that Swazi TV services are poor. That is why everyone is so upset,” said Comfort Mabuza, national director of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). “This just goes to show that we need to free the airwaves”.
Swazi TV broadcasting centres around the activities of the monarchy and – to a smaller extent – the government.
For example, prime time on Friday is taken up by a programme entitled ‘From the Palace’. On Sunday, prime time is allocated to ‘Asikhulumisane’, a talk show that features political figures.
Moreover, Swazi television is inaccessible in many border areas, while SABC is not.
The government has repeatedly frustrated efforts by intending broadcasters to set up private stations by refusing them broadcasting licenses.
Last month, participants at a media workshop in Mbabane organised by MISA advised intending broadcasters to set up pirate stations until the government freed the airwaves. – African Eye News Service