By Abra Barbier

The committee says these submissions aim to add value to and assist the SABC in its governance framework.

The SABC itself, as well as other broadcasters and civic society organisations, all appeared before the committee.

At the core of most of the submissions is the funding model of the public broadcaster.

This legislation has been in the making for over a decade.

AfriForum is advocating for the privatisation of the SABC and the scrapping of the television licences.

The SABC says while the Bill is being processed, there is an urgent requirement for an interim measure for funding for the broadcaster’s public mandate.

The funding model issue is a concern of most contributors, including MultiChoice and eTV, who say despite the competitive environment within which they all operate, the health of the public broadcaster is vital.

The South African National Editors Forum, Media Monitoring Africa and the SOS Coalition raise a range of concerns,  that included the vetting of staff, the appointment of a Chief Operation Officer, and political interference.

But, again, the importance of the funding model received a lot of attention from the group.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) agrees. Icasa’s Norman Gidi says, “There are two for parliament to consider, one is the suggestion made by the department, and it should actually be included in the actual bill.”

Icasa notes gaps in the current draft policy and says the bill should be withdrawn until these are finalised.

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies will report back on these submissions on October 18. After which the committee will begin its deliberation.

--SABC--