by Thinus Ferreira
The Afrikaans TV news bulletins disappeared this past weekend from the SABC, without any prior warning or explanation, with no Afrikaans TV news bulletin on Saturday 5 April, nor Sunday 6 April, on SABC2 at 18:15, or any other SABC TV channel at any other time.
There was no warning before the weekend started from the SABC or to viewers that there won't be any Afrikaans TV news bulletins on Saturday or Sunday.
On the evening of Friday 4 April, SABC2 Afrikaans TV news reader Willem Pelser at the end of the SABC Nuus broadcast only said "enjoy the weekend".
The previous Friday Willem Pelser at the end of that Friday's broadcast still said "we greet you until tomorrow evening", meaning Saturday.
A year ago, the SABC removed the Afrikaans TV news bulletins from SABC2 and decided to place these on SABC3 during the week and in the late timeslot of 20:30, and on weekends on SABC2 at 18:15 - a move that was highly criticised by viewers.
The 5 and 6 April weekend marks the first weekend of the month, and April was also the start of the South African public broadcaster's new financial year.
On social media a SABC viewer like Beatrix on Saturday asked: "SABC2, Why is there no Afrikaans news tonight? I'm not paying my TV licence again!! #SABC2fail ".
It's as yet unclear whether the Afrikaans TV news bulletins SABC Nuus on SABC2 over a weekend have been cancelled permanently from April, whether it's absence is a once-off, or what the reason for its sudden and unexplained absence is.
When the SABC provides an explanation, it will be added here.
UPDATE Tuesday 8 April 2025 12:15pm: The SABC has just issued a press statement:
"The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) wishes to address concerns arising from the non-broadcast of the Afrikaans television news bulletin this past weekend. We acknowledge that the bulletin did not air in its regular time slot on Saturday and Sunday, and we confirm that this was a scheduling error. This should not have happened."
"As management, we are treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, and consequence management processes are currently underway to address the internal oversight that led to this unfortunate incident."
"We want to assure the public and our stakeholders that there is no plan or decision to discontinue or deprioritise Afrikaans news."
"The Afrikaans television news bulletin continues to air as scheduled from Monday to Friday, and the weekend bulletin will also continue in its regular time slot going forward."
"Afrikaans remains an important part of our public broadcasting mandate, just as all South African languages are. The SABC is committed to providing equitable access to news and information in all official languages."
"The SABC is actively working on a broader content and scheduling strategy aimed at strengthening our language offering, including Afrikaans. This process is part of our new financial year’s content strategy and will be communicated more fully in due course."
"We acknowledge the deep concern this weekend’s error has caused, particularly within Afrikaans-speaking communities. We extend our sincere and heartfelt apology to the South African public, and especially to those who felt aggrieved by this disruption."
"In closing, we reiterate: Afrikaans news has not been discontinued. Afrikaans News currently broadcasts at 20:30 Mondays - Fridays on S3. Weekend Afrikaans bulletins will continue in their current time slot, 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays on SABC 2. The SABC remains committed to all languages as part of its constitutional and public service mandate."
"We appreciate the continued engagement from the public, civil society organisations, and political parties, and we remain open to further dialogue in the spirit of transparency and inclusivity."
