Since the introduction of digital television in South Africa, the number of citizens not paying the public broadcaster’s TV licence has increased.
The non-payment culture is a historical legacy and not limited to the public broadcaster’s TV licences. Even local municipalities are facing the same challenge. The public broadcaster intends to increase and improve its content. The infamous SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng has appealed to the public to pay their TV licences in order for them to achieve their objective. Will the public listen to Motsoeneng’s appeal and pay up?
The public broadcaster has enjoyed large viewership for a very long time. This has resulted in the broadcaster resting on its laurels. Now it is fast losing viewership to other channels because of poor content. It has been a long time coming.
It is interesting that the broadcaster only wants to improve its content now because it’s losing its viewership to other channels that are providing better content. What has the SABC been doing all along? Playing marbles?
I’m of the school of thought that the SABC is suffering from a leadership crisis. As a result, it is failing on its mandate of converting from analogue to digital. It is late by two years. If that is not incompetence, I don’t know what it is. Interestingly, other countries in Africa have converted already.
I believe that paying the TV licence is the right thing to do. However, the SABC is taking its viewers for granted as if it has no competition. It plays and repeat old dramas such as Mopheme and Emzini wezintsizwa. In addition to that, it produces substandard dramas.
There are channels on DStv that are giving viewers a better content. And viewers happily pay their subscription every month. They don’t even tune in to SABC channels. So why should they pay the broadcaster’s TV licence?
