Sunday Times reports that SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board chairperson, Bongumusa Makhathini, has vowed to push ahead with cost-saving measures at the public broadcaster, including retrenchments.  

This would be even if the move should cost him his job.  He revealed that the board was under tremendous pressure from what he called “political and commercial interests” that were opposed to the board’s plan to turn around the struggling broadcaster, but did not say which politicians were exerting the pressure, or how they were doing this.  The SABC is fast running out of cash and unless it gets a R3bn government guarantee, it will not be able to pay salaries or honour financial obligations by March.  Makhathini defended plans to retrench 981 permanent staff and not to renew the contracts of 1,200 freelancers.  He indicated that one of the reasons for the cash crisis at the broadcaster was the arbitrary manner in which salary increases and promotions were made under the previous SABC board and executive team.  Former communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane publicly slammed the board for the planned job cuts.

• Read a summary of the original report by Caiphus Kgosana at TimesLive

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