The SABC has warned it will be unable to cover South Africa’s upcoming local government elections adequately. This is after national treasury declined its request for R120-million in dedicated funding, prompting Parliament’s communications committee to intervene with an urgent letter to the minister of finance.
The public broadcaster confirmed to the portfolio committee on communications & digital technologies last week that it had submitted funding applications through both the adjustment budget and medium-term expenditure framework processes, and that both had been turned down.
“Without funding, the SABC does not have the capacity or resources to provide adequate election coverage,” acting chief financial officer Tendai Matore told MPs.
The funding shortfall threatens not only election day broadcasting but also preparatory activities, including voter education and the provision of airtime to political parties. SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli warned that the Electoral Commission expects roughly 400 political parties to contest the local government elections, and that regulations will prescribe airtime allocations for parties and public participation.
“The nature of local government elections requires extensive, wall-to-wall coverage across the country,” Chabeli said. “Without funding, the SABC will not be able to deploy infrastructure, staff or resources at the required scale.”
She said this would compromise the broadcaster’s ability to ensure inclusive democratic participation.
‘Anomaly’
The SABC does receive some funding from the Electoral Commission of South Africa, largely for voter education, and said discussions with the commission were ongoing. But this falls well short of what is needed for full multilingual and provincial coverage.
The revelation drew sharp responses from committee members. Acting chair Ibraheem Subrathie proposed that the committee write to finance minister Enoch Godongwana, highlighting what he called an “anomaly” that needed to be addressed ahead of the budget speech.
Read: Icasa to target Sentech with tougher broadcast pricing rules
DA MP Tsholofelo Bodlani described it as “abnormal and concerning” that a public broadcaster would be unfunded for election coverage, and proposed a joint engagement with the portfolio committee on cooperative governance & traditional affairs.
EFF MP Sixolisa Gcilishe said the committee could not allow a situation where the SABC was unable to fulfil its mandate during such a critical democratic process.
The committee resolved to draft the letter to Godongwana and to explore the joint engagement with Cogta.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi noted that in previous election years, additional allocations had always been provided for election coverage, and said he hoped resources would be made available. He confirmed that his department’s engagements with national treasury on the matter were ongoing.
The funding crisis comes against the backdrop of the SABC’s broader financial difficulties. The company’s long-term funding model has not been finalised, and it owes Sentech roughly R1.5-billion for signal distribution, something that is currently the subject of mediation led by the department of communications.
Read: How the SABC lost its way – and what it must become
Despite these pressures, the SABC reported a 5% increase in total revenue in the second quarter and has achieved consecutive unqualified audit outcomes for the first time in more than a decade. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here.