The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on Monday released a document on draft licence conditions for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in which the regulator stated that it wants SABC stations to increase local programming while promoting indigenous languages.
With reference to SABC1, Icasa wants the television channel to up the proportion of programming provided in the Nguni languages so that within 18 months of the licence being issued, a minimum of 80% — from the current 46% — of all programming broadcast on SABC1 is in these languages.
Nguni languages refer to isiXhosa, isiZulu, isiNdebele and siSwati.
Icasa chairperson Mandla Langa noted that in terms of the Broadcasting Act, the SABC must consist of two operational divisions, namely a public-service division and a commercial-service division.
The public arm will have two TV channels, SABC1 and SABC2, and 15 radio stations broadcasting in all 11 official languages. SABC3 and three radio stations ‒ 5fm, Good Hope FM and Metro FM — will make up the commercial arm.
Icasa also wants the public arm to provide a wide range of programming in the official languages, and to provide programming that reflects both the unity and the diverse cultural and multilingual nature of the country and all its cultures and regions to audiences.
”The public- and commercial-service divisions must be separately administered and a separate set of financial records and accounts are to be kept in respect of such division,” Langa noted.
SABC MD of corporate and regulator affairs Ihron van Rensburg is of the view that the mulled conditions will be difficult to fulfill, especially with regards to the short period (18 months) the broadcaster is — in terms of the proposals — allowed to implement the changes.
”What we’d also like to know is what informs these conditions, what would be the implications — in financial terms as well … [and] what business models they [Icasa] used to apply this,” he asked.
”This is a turning point for the public broadcaster in South Africa. To deal with this we’ll sit with the board and shareholder [the government] and we will study and internalise Icasa’s proposals. Hard work lies ahead for us for the next 30 to 60 days.”
Van Rensburg is concerned that the conditions under consideration will adversely affect the broadcaster’s public-service financial performance.
Icasa will issue the final version of licence conditions for the broadcaster’s sound and television broadcasting services in May. — I-Net Bridge