The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which retrenched over 600 workers last week, has denied that it was “collapsing” as claimed by the dismissed workers’ labour representatives at the weekend.
Denying the Communication Workers Union’s (CWU) assertions, acting SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo on Saturday said the public broadcaster had put in place mitigating plans to ensure continuity in broadcasting following the 621 broadcasters’ dismissals this week.
“We remain fully committed to fulfilling our mandate of informing, educating and entertaining the public,” Seapolelo said.
She added: “The SABC would like to reassure South Africans that it has successfully moved into its new structure.”
Seapolelo said the interruption to the SABC’s broadcasts that was experienced on April 1 “was as a result of power supply issues from City Power Supply” and not due to the dismissals.
The state-funded broadcaster said the retrenchment of the workers was meant to ensure the facility’s long-term financial viability, and at the same time to carry out a restructuring process to keep the network afloat.
However, CWU spokesperson Aubrey Tshabalala said urgent action was needed to turn the SABC’s fortunes around.
According to Tshabalala, unless government took stern action the public broadcaster would collapse, thereby negatively impacting on the public at large.
Tshabalala said the union would write to President Cyril Ramaphosa to advise him to do something to save the SABC, accusing the management of trying to play down the real crisis facing the public broadcaster.
The union official insisted that the massive dismissals at the public broadcaster would cripple the SABC’s efforts to fulfil its public service mandate to millions of South Africans.
NM/jn/APA