SABC News reports that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) says reports that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) plans to cut a third of its staff are an effort to destroy the public broadcaster.  

According to CWU general secretary Aubrey Tshabalala, the union was continuing to interact with the SABC and all stakeholders and that there was no indication of any possible retrenchments at the SABC for now.  “There’s concerted efforts to talk bad about the SABC to reduce it to an institution that will never work so that those who stand to gain, particularly in the private sector, can start now to buy some assets at the SABC and improve their lifelines,” Tshabalala stated.  He claimed that in interactions with the SABC executive management and the Communications Minister there had no indications of any reduction of staff.  In a meeting with them on Wednesday, the union will give further input on a turnaround strategy for the broadcaster.  The SABC earlier dismissed claims made by The Sunday Times that it planned to retrench a third of its staff and close five provincial offices and assured its staff and the public that there were no such plans.  Meanwhile, the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu) vowed to fight any plans by the broadcaster to cut staff.  The union’s president, Hannes du Buisson, said the SABC must take the staff into its confidence regarding what the newspaper article had revealed.

• Read the full original of the above report at SABC News
• Read too, SABC refutes retrenchment claims, at SABC News

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