SABC meets Kekana to give update on various matters including turnaround plan

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board and management on Tuesday met with Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Pinky Kekana, who has been delegated to do oversight at the public broadcaster.

The purpose of the meeting was to obtain a progress update on various matters, with a key focus on the pre-conditions of funding, status of the implementation of the turnaround plan, and the expenditure of the bailout that was granted in October 2019.  The board provided a detailed breakdown and report of the expenditure to date.

This meeting was critical to provide the Deputy Minister with feedback on the bailout’s expenditure in line with the priorities outlined by National Treasury, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), and the SABC Board. These priorities include settling of outstanding debts, investment in technology, maintenance of buildings, and investment in local content.

The SABC said in a statement that, “The Deputy Minister is satisfied with the progress made and reporting thus far, with some of the highlights being that there has been significant progress made on the turnaround plan, and delivering in accordance with the commitments made.”

With regard to the outstanding funding,  the Department said, “According to the deadlines within the turnaround plan, the SABC will submit all the required documents by the end of January 2020 in order to fulfil the requirements of the three outstanding preconditions for the remaining R1,1 billion to be released.”