SABC has been dealing with severe funding issues in recent years, even failing to pay salaries on time last year. The Government has in the last financial year extended R3.2 billion to help the family stay afloat, irrespective of these efforts the public broadcaster is reported to be continuing with retrenchments which have resulted in protests.
#NotInMyName will be joining planned protests at SABC offices to tackle the national broadcaster’s board and management plans to retrench hundreds of employees. The movement will stand in solidarity with all SABC staff, especially those affected by section 189 retrenchments that are being served.
The civil rights movement was formed in 2019 by activists Siyabulela Jentile and Themba Masango to empower South Africans to understand and use the powers they possess through the Constitution.
“The board needs to come up with a different plan rather than firing people who are much needed and play an integral part in dispersing information to the general public. More than 21 million people in South Africa depend on the SABC for news, entertainment and content. We will be joining the picket lines, joining every forward-thinking organisation that is standing against the blatant bullying (against) the SABC staff,” said Masango.
Furthermore, the civil rights movement called on Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to increase her intervention and save jobs at the loss-making state broadcaster. On the other hand, the government also urged the SABC to consider every viable option to save jobs.
The Communication Workers Union has given the SABC board and management until Thursday evening to abandon its plans to retrench hundreds of employees or face a blackout on Friday. This comes as the union plans to embark on a national strike across branches of the public broadcaster, with the main strike action at its headquarters in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
