Broke SABC looks to other aid options
The national broadcaster has been waiting for a government guarantee for the better part of the year, while some staff have gone on strike
The SABC says it now considers its request for a R3bn government guarantee an "option B" and is pursuing other avenues to address its financial quagmire. The public broadcaster, which is in the midst of a financial crisis, has been waiting for a government guarantee for the better part of the year, but its request has yet to be approved by the Treasury. To make matters worse, some of its staff went on a strike on Thursday demanding a 10% pay hike. The broadcaster says it can afford only a 4.5% increase. The strike disrupted programming and it is feared that the industrial action could limit the coverage of the ANC elective conference, due to start on Saturday. "We are in a desperate situation … we have put in two requests [for a government guarantee] and unfortunately both have not yielded anything," SABC chairman Bongumusa Makhathini said. "We have to explore other avenues … government guarantees are actually an option B now. We cannot continue to pursue something that has not yiel...
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