South Africa's cash-strapped public broadcaster SABC is
considering laying off nearly 1,000 people,
or about one third of its full-time staff, in a bid to turn around its "dire" finances, according to a document seen on Tuesday.
or about one third of its full-time staff, in a bid to turn around its "dire" finances, according to a document seen on Tuesday.
The South African
Broadcasting Corporation sent a memo to workers informing them of its
intention to cut jobs at all levels and in all departments in a bid to
save around $30 million a year.
In the note seen by
AFP, SABC said the broadcaster is in "dire financial straits" and was
unable to borrow from either the government or banks.
As a result of corruption and maladministration scandals, parliament has dissolved SABC's board several times in recent years.
The
company's financial distress deepened during the tenure of its former
chief operating officer, Mr Hlaudi Motsoeneng, an ally of ex-president
Jacob Zuma who falsely claimed to have finished high school.
Financially viable
The SABC, which is the primary news source for millions of
people, was accused of banning footage of violent protests, blocking
opposition campaign adverts and avoiding criticism of the government
during Mr Zuma's reign.
The memo warned that unless "drastic measures are taken" the broadcaster would not be financially viable.
While
it said SABC intends to correct "many instances of unlawful and
irregular promotions and increases afforded to employees", its main
focus was on belt-tightening.
The SABC said it was "overstaffed", currently employing more than 3,370 staff as well as 2,400 freelancers.
"Should
retrenchments be necessary, it is envisaged that 981 employees may
possibly be retrenched as a result of the restructuring," it said,
adding that notices to terminate contracts would be issued starting in
February.
Official languages
The corporation said it hoped to save around $30 million (440m rand) a year if it proceeds with the plan.
SABC
posted losses of $45 million (622m rand) in the financial year ending
March 2018 after a record loss of nearly one billion rand the year
before.
The country's auditor-general Kimi Makwetu last
month said the broadcaster, which has in recent years relied on
government loans for its survival, was commercially insolvent.
The
SABC was formed 77 years ago. Headquartered in Johannesburg, it has
three free-to-air television channels and 18 stations broadcasting in
all the country's 11 official languages.
News of the
planned redundancies came as South Africa's unemployment rate grew to
27.5 percent in the third quarter of this year, up from 26.7 percent in
the first quarter, according to official statistics.
Political interference
Unions have vowed to fight the planned lay-offs in the courts and with industrial action.
"It
is concerning that such a big number of people have been targeted. This
is not a well thought through process," said Hannes du Buisson,
president of the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers
Union (BEMAWU).
"It is because of political
interference with the SABC editorial content by deploying African
National Congress (supporters) inside the SABC that has caused the SABC
to collapse," Mr Du Buisson told AFP, adding that viewers had abandoned
the broadcaster over its diminished impartiality.
"A lot of viewers are no longer interested in the SABC and that is being followed by advertisers."
The
main opposition Democratic Alliance urged an independent staff and
salaries audit, describing the management rescue plan as "haphazard and
illogical".
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