SABC removes SABC News anchor Juliet Newell after asking Dr Mamphela Ramphele why she's equating Israel-Gaza conflict to the Holocaust

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster has removed SABC News anchor Juliet Newell from the air and unscheduled her after an interview and testy on-air exchange about the Israel-Gaza conflict with Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

Juliet Newell asked Ramphele "how does your statement likening the famine in Gaza, to the Holocaust - do you not see that as provocative?"

Ramphele responded by saying "What provocative? It is a Holocaust. Why can't I compare them?"

"The Holocaust happened, and it will continue to happen in different forms for as long as we make criticising this kind of behaviour a holy cow. It is a Holocaust by any definition if you look at the deliberate attack on children, on women, on unarmed citizens, and using starvation as a weapon of war. Tell me what that is?"

The SABC says in a statement "SABC News management took immediate action in line with the SABC's internal processes, and the presenter in question is currently not scheduled".

"The SABC editorial policies are aimed at building trust with the public and in ensuring that our content, in all its formats, continues to resonate with the prescripts of our public mandate, and more so in providing universal access to credible content."

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in a statement says "As a publicly funded institution, SABC has a duty to report with integrity, accuracy, and balance".

"As a publicly funded institution, SABC has a duty to report with integrity, accuracy, and balance. We call on SABC to accurately describe the situation in Gaza as genocide, provide full coverage of South Africa's ICJ case against Israel, and stop adopting the framing or talking points of foreign governments at the expense of truth."

South Africa's cash and crisis-riddled NFVF cancels 2025's 19th SAFTAs over 'unforeseen delays', out-of-time industry award show pushed to March 2026

Thinus Ferreira

Exactly as has been whispered by anxious South African filmmakers, the cash and crisis-riddled National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has now been forced to scrap the 19th South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) for 2025, pushing it to March 2026 and unfairly making more producers and talent compete against each other.

The last time the NFVF, fully funded by the South African government's department of arts, culture and sports, imploded when it failed to properly organise and host a SAFTAs was in 2008. Now it is embarrassingly not happening - happening - again.

Filmmakers, broadcasters, producers and on-screen talent across South Africa have been complaining for months about the utter silence and disrespect from the NFVF that has failed to give any updates about this year's SAFTAs for eight months.

The NFVF, lorded over by Gayton McKenzie, South Africa's current minister of arts, culture and sports, has been scandalised by ongoing top leadership and board instability, with a choir of voices from within the film biz community constantly complaining that the NFVF ffails to properly support them.

No production company has been appointed to stage the awards ceremony, and broadcasters are in the dark that also have to be approach with negotiations to add it to their schedules and a date on which to air it.

Last year the 18th SAFTAs was held in October at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg but filmmakers complained that they've been told nothing this year and that it would be virtually impossible for the NFVF to mount any kind of glitzy award show in the four months left since nominations were supposed to open in March.

The NFVF failed to appoint a production company in time to do the awards show broadcast, nothing was communicated to broadcasters, while a highly frustrated industy are extremely upset about there not being a SAFTAs this year, not being told anything, and being made to compete with entries as an even larger group next year when eligibility will span across a year and a half.

Now the NFVF confirmed the SAFTAs for 2025 is cancelled and being pushed to March 2026.

 under Dr Rirhandzu Machaba who is the latest acting NFVF CEO. 

The NFVF is desperately trying to put some positive spin on the agency's disastrous inefficiency, saying in a general press release that the 19th SAFTAS "will now take place in March 2026 following a rescheduling from October this year due to organisational changes and a period of renewal within the NFVF".

The "organisational changes" is the constant CEO churn at the NFVF which has limped along with a permanent CEO for two years now and a "period of renewal" that means the entire board got fired by McKenzie, replaced by a new one of which the industry asked members to be fired to, as well as a NFVF apparently fighting with filmmakers allegedly failing in providing proper support. 

The NFVF says that it has "rescheduled the 19th SAFTAs to take place in March 2026".

"The decision to move the awards is the result of leadership changes within the NFVF and related unforeseen delays, which have now enabled a broader period of organisational renewal."

"This transition has provided us with an opportunity to strengthen governance, sharpen our strategic focus, and reinforce the NFVF’s role as the custodian of the SAFTAs. This adjustment also ensures that the SAFTAs align with the international awards calendar, providing South African talent the opportunity to be celebrated in parallel with major global film and television awards."

"Furthermore, it allows the SAFTAs to revert to the original timeline of March, which had changed due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This shift will ensure that the event is marked consistently in the industry calendar every year moving forward in the interest of consistency and forward-planning."

According to the NFVF, the 19th SAFTAs will now be forced to make the eligibility period longer. It is also something filmmakers, producers and talent already complained about and said would happen if the SAFTAs is cancelled for 2025.

They say they already struggle to stand out and will now have to compete with a period of 18 months in film and TV, instead of 12 months.

The NFVF says " If the 19th SAFTAs took place in 2025, eligibility would pertain to projects that have been on air, screened in cinemas or streamed online between 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024".

"Given this shift back to March of each year, the eligibility criteria for the 19th SAFTAs will expand to a period of 18 months for projects that have been on air, screened in cinemas or streamed online between 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2025. This will be a once-off exception given the unique circumstances."

"Moving forward, eligibility will revert to a 12-month cycle, meaning that for SAFTAs20 in March 2027, eligibility would be for projects that have been on air, screened in cinemas or streamed online between 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026."

Dr Rirhandzu Machaba, in a prepared corporate communications quote, says "In 2026 we look forward to celebrating an industry that continues to rise, inspire, and unite. SAFTAs19 will mark a moment for the industry to come together, reflect on our journey, and re-imagine the path ahead under the theme One Story, One Industry, One Future."

"It is both a celebration and a commitment: to tell our stories with pride, to stand together as one,

and to work towards an even brighter future for South African film and television."

E! axed in Africa as it ends after 21 years, replaced by Bravo on MultiChoice's DStv from October 2025

Thinus Ferreira

NBCUniversal is dumping E! in Africa after 21 years, with the steadily dismantled channel that will be gone and replaced by the reality-saturated Bravo on 7 October.

It's an awful and tragic end for E! that MultiChoice added to DStv in December 2004.

As with all things corporate, dying and reaching the end of service as it disappears into obsolescence, there is absolutely no explanation from NBCUniversal on why it's axing E! but one, or a combination of these reasons is likely true.

E! as a pay-TV channel has been dying on the pay-TV vine for a very long time, with less and less content investment, a schedule littered with repeats, stale and old programming and repurposed Bravo content. 

E!'s only remaining "real" show - once its flagship programme and schedule staple - E! News also got cancelled, and once your sole remaining anchor programme is gone, there's nothing left of what was once signature E!.

E! is also one of the channels NBCUniversal decided to get rid of, spinning it off as one of the Versant-held channels. 

E! as part of the upcoming Versant collection may or may not be available to NBCUniversal International Networks to distribute. In fact, even if it is available, NBCUniversal International Networks might not want to distribute it because of its low relevance as a zombified pay-TV channel.

We don't know because NBCUniversal International Networks hasn't communicated to the media about changes, plans, or programming in a very long time.

What happens to the remaining E! content is unclear; NBCUniversal International Networks didn't explain, but was asked, and comment will be added here when received.

In a prepared corporate quote attributed to Hendrik McDermott, MD, Hayu, EMEA Networks & International Direct-To-Consumer, NBCUniversal, about pulling the plug on E!, he says "We are thrilled to be launching Bravo Africa, with our partners DStv, and to build on the success of the NBCUniversal channel portfolio in Africa by bringing audiences even more of the mega-hit global franchises that they already love – now as part of Bravo, the linear channel brand that is synonymous with top-quality reality content".

"This rebrand reflects the strong slate of Bravo programming that had already been added to E!, and now makes exclusive original programming and a wider selection of Bravo's immensely popular reality programmes available to DStv subscribers."

Byron du Plessis, MultiChoice South Africa CEO, in a prepared quote, says "DStv subscribers that are fans of great reality programming are going to love Bravo Africa, and we are delighted to be able to give these hugely popular shows a home on our platforms. The channel will be available down to DStv Access, as we continue to improve our customer value proposition across our packages".

ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. As E! marks 15 years in South Africa as a TV channel on DStv, here are 15 things that E! brought into my life that I'm thankful for.

MultiChoice adds 4 kids channels to DStv Family

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice is making the three kids channels, Paramount Global's Nickelodeon and Nick Jr, as well as DreamWorks available to the DStv Family bouquet from 25 August.

MultiChoice says it is repositioning DStv Family as "South Africa's home of kids entertainment" in a pivot to add more value for DStv Family subscribers. The DStv Family bouquet will now include all 14 DStv kids' channels.

"While our broader packaging review remains ongoing, our research shows that DStv Family customers value kids' content as much as they do local shows and movies," says Byron du Plessis, MultiChoice South Africa CEO.

"By adding Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, and DreamWorks to the DStv Family package alongside favourites like Cartoonito and Disney Channel, we are making DStv Family the undisputed home of kids' entertainment."

SABC now trying to rent lifts, needs R3 billion for rundown studios as 'critical infrastructure is at risk of collapse'

Thinus Ferreira

The SABC which can no longer maintain or repair its decades-old lifts at its Auckland Park headquarters, is now trying to rent lifts.

It's also busy with a physical workplace move "consolidation" plan to shift as many workers as possible from its radio building into its TV complex.

The struggling South African public broadcaster says it requires R1.4 billion to produce much-needed content over the next 3 years, with another R3.15 billion urgently needed to repair and replace its rundown, broken and outdated infrastructure.

The SABC is now trying to rent lifts since parts to service and replace its old elevators are apparently no longer being made and unavailable.

On a good month the SABC gets R350 million in income, of which R200 million goes towards the wage bill and paying salaries.

That leaves R150 million to pay other bills, accumulated debt, electricity, the parastatal signal distributor Sentech, and other service providers like production companies who produce content for the broadcaster.

Almost no money is left for basic maintenance of the SABC's infrastructure, repair and upgrades.

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, in a presentation to parliament's portfolio committee on communications, said "the lifts at SABC are more than 50 years old".

"Schindler has come back to us to say they no longer have the spare parts to service the lifts. It's quite a risk for the SABC."

"We're looking for a turnkey solution for that. But the market might not yield what we want because we're looking for a long-term rental, because we don't have the capital to front the investment of those lifts."

According to Nomsa Chabeli, the SABC's "critical infrastructure is at a risk of collapse".

"The majority of our infrastructure is more than 30 years old. We've got failing buildings, our studios are very much outdated and we're dealing with analogue-era equipment. Our current systems cannot support the latest 4K-broadcasts."

Nomsa Chabeli says the SABC started a "consolidation plan" for its Auckland Park buildings, which comprise its rundown radio building and its TV building.

According to this new "workspace strategy", Nomsa Chabeli says "we're consolidating the Auckland Park campus". 

In this plan, staff are being moved to the TV centre with the SABC which plans to maintain only its radio studios in its Radiopark building.

Nomsa Chabeli mentioned that when she sits at interactions next to executives from broadcasters like the BBC, "if you look at the language they are talking, and the language they we as the SABC are using, we are 15 years behind."

"The danger we have is that the likes of the BBC, because of their ambitions globally - at some point South Africans will have a bigger dependency on foreign broadcasters informing and educating our own population because we're not able to do it because we are at a risk of collapse."

To upgrade, repair and replace its ageing and dilapidated infrastructure, the SABC says its urgently needs to spend R3.15 billion. The public broadcaster wants to spend R900 million to upgrade its Auckland Park headquarters and provincial buildings.

Another R750 million is required for studio equipment and technology like replacing cameras, modernising studio facilities, repairing and upgrading regional production facilities, control rooms and editing suites.

Then the SABC needs to spend R500 million on the replacement of its electronic news gathering (ENG/DNG) and field production units to replace dated equipment. 

Another R200 million is required to automate news curation, its ad planning system, and subtitle services. 

R400 million is needed to replace the SABC's ERP system, and another R400 million must be spent on its digital and automation stack.

The SABC was asked in a media query what the public broadcaster will do if it doesn't get the R1.4 billion to create public service content and where it envisions getting the R3.15 billion to spend on critical infrastructure upgrades, the move of staff from the radio building, and how far the process of lift replacement is.

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, didn't respond to the media query.

Ghana slams MultiChoice over price-drop refusal: Alleges pay-TV operator told its South African government to pressure Ghana's government, says incoming owner Canal+ is 'more positive' than MultiChoice

by Thinus Ferreira

It's an all out nasty war between Ghana's government and MultiChoice that has refused a price-drop demand by the government, with the country's communication minister now alleging MultiChoice asked the South African government to pressure Ghana's government to back off, and saying new owner Canal+ has a better attitude than MultiChoice executives.

MultiChoice Ghana is at risk of having its DStv broadcasting licence revoked in the political war that Ghana's communications minister has started with the pay-TV operator - demanding a massive price drop for DStv in the West African country struggling with a failing economy, rampant inflation and a very weak local currency.

Ghana's belligerent communication minister Sam George, who demanded that MultiChoice Ghana immediately drops its DStv subscription fees by 30% or face suspension of its broadcasting licence, is keeping up his nasty political attack on the pan-African pay-TV operator.

Sam George, in a radio interview with Joy FM, slammed MultiChoice for allegedly getting South Africa's government to try and put pressure on Ghana's government to back off.

"Look at the places they are walking around, getting the foreign minister of South Africa to call the Ghanaian foreign minister to call me - it's not going to work. Making it a foreign issue," Sam George said.

TVwithThinus asked MultiChoice earlier this week for comment and if it asked the South African government and minister of foreign affairs to intervene and contact Ghana's government. MultiChoice didn't respond to the media query.

Sam George also claims that France's Canal+ that is in the end-phase of its buyout and takeover of MultiChoice, is much better to deal with than MultiChoice and allegedly has a better attitude.

"Canal+ has reached out and I've made it clear to them that if they want to come into Ghana and operate, that is our request. Canal+'s attitude is light years more positive than that of MultiChoice," Sam George said.

MultiChoice was also asked for comment about Sam George alleging that Canal+ is "more positive" than MultiChoice. 

MultiChoice didn't respond to this question seeking comment either.

In a statement, Maxime Saada, Canal+ CEO, said "We are closely monitoring the situation in Ghana. Canal+ has a long Canal+ has a long and successful history of working collaboratively with regulatory bodies across Africa",

"Upon the successful completion of our acquisition of MultiChoice, we look forward to engaging directly with the ministry and all stakeholders to build a future that serves the interests of Ghanaian audiences and the creative industry."

MultiChoice Ghana has until 6 September to respond to the ultimatum of the Ghanaian government, after its Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA) gave MultiChoice Ghana a 30-day notice that its broadcasting licence is going to be revoked.

ALSO READ: Ghana communication regulator gives MultiChoice Ghana 30 day-notice of revoking licence after it fails to give in to government demand to drop DStv prices by 30%, warns of 'dire implcations' to business

SABC's Muvhango replacement Pimville Queens nowhere in sight on SABC2 as Venda soap ends belatedly

Thinus Ferreira

There's not a word about the delayed Pimville Queens from the SABC, with this new replacement series that was supposed to start in the timeslot of the cancelled Muvhango on SABC2 - a soap which itself ended later than announced due to SABC non-payment issues.

The SABC originally announced that the long-running and cancelled ratings loser Muvhango from Word of Mouth Pictures was to end on 8 August in a press release.

After non-payment and a production shutdown it forced a delay to the SABC2 schedule since Muvhango just disappeared without any episodes in June, with no warning or explanation from the SABC. 

Muvhango therefore only really ended and broadcast its fnal episode this past Tuesday 12 August, after 26 seasons. 

The SABC made no announcement about this final, real date, and there was no SABC press conference or media interaction to do a last publicity blitz and try to get good ratings for an on-screen property that delivered 4 893 episodes across its run to the South African public broadcaster.

After the SABC said that Pimville Queens from the notorious Bakwena Productions would replace Muvhango, the SABC suddenly slotted yet another repeat of Giyani in Muvhango's 21:00 timeslot on SABC2 since Wednesday night.

And again there's also been no announcement or prorgramming press release to the media about this from the SABC either.

In June, SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli said that "Come August, we are launching a new telenovela called Pimville on SABC2, and based on that we will be really driving that audience share back to SABC2".

At this moment it's however unclear when exactly Pimville Queens will really start on SABC2, given firstly the delayed ending of Muvhango.

Secondly, there is the padding of the schedule with repeats of old Giyani episodes in prime time since Pimville Queens is apparently not yet ready for broadcast, even after Muvhango ended late.

Paramount says looming retrenchments will be 'painful'; will no longer sell BET but pivot pay-TV channels to streaming

Thinus Ferreira

After Skydance's buyout, Paramount Global bosses say the coming retenchments - something that will very likely affect South Africa's Paramount Africa as well - will be "painful", although the company is no longer looking at selling off BET and will transition its pay-TV channels to video streaming.

On Wednesday evening, new Paramount CEO David Ellison and a few top executives, at a press event for some media in Los Angeles, took questions about the plans for Paramount Global under Skydance ownership.

David Ellison's LA press conference about the looming downsizing of Paramount came at the same time as Paramount Africa's event for some media and influencers in Bryanston, Johannesburg, for its upcoming new South African telenovela Black Gold from Black Brain Pictures.

Jeff Shell, Paramount president, told media that the coming Paramount Global retrenchments is "going to be painful".

"It's always hard, but we don't want to be a company that every quarter is laying people off. So, it is important for us to get done what we're doing in one big thing and then be done with it," he said.

Paramount Global has around 18 000 staffers remaining following brutal, almost constant cuts over the past few years. 

David Ellison said the upcoming retrenchments and restructuring of the company could amount to saving of more than $2 billion. Under new ownership, it is however no longer looking for a buyer and to spin off TV channels like BET.

"In terms of specifics and timelines, we're in day 7, and I hope you can respect when we get there, we're going to talk to team members first before talking to anybody else," he said about the upcoming retrenchments.

About no longer looking to sell off BET and other channels, David Ellison said "It is our intention to keep the company together and invest in that lens."

Last month, Paramount shocked when Paramount Africa told staffers of the shocking decision that it's considering shuttering its entire localised operations and offices based in South Africa and Nigeria.

This also has implications for its traditional linear pay-TV channels like BET Africa, MTV Base and others, which are carried on MultiChoice's DStv platform.

After 20 years Paramount Africa might close down the local content operations it had established, together with its Bryanston building as part of Paramount Global's cost-cutting and downsizing.

Craig Paterson, Paramount Africa senior vice president and general manager, as well as Monde Twala, senior vice-president and general manager of Paramount Africa and lead of BET International, told Paramount Africa staffers last month that Paramount is considering shutting down local operations in Africa as the company "evaluates its pay-TV strategy and local channel footprint here in Africa".

"We are at a point in our journey where we are facing immense industry disruption. Our team is not immune to potential changes," they said.

"We understand the coming weeks may be tough and feel unsettling. Through it all, please know your efforts are valued beyond measure."

In response to a media query last month about the decision, Natalie Mdladla, Paramount Africa senior director of communications, said Paramount Africa declines to comment.

About the future of Paramount Global's struggling linear pay-TV channels, George Cheeks, Paramount's chairman of TV media divison, said at the press conference on Wednesday evening that it's "a super challenging business" and "we’re all seeing the pay-TV business shifting over to streaming".

"So there’ll be a lot of conversations about what iconic franchises we want to continue, shift maybe to streaming, etc. We're 7 days in, but I do feel like there's a lot to preserve there. There's a lot of great, iconic franchises."

Jeff Shell added that "You look at a brand like BET, which is a pretty strong brand that's going to be a pretty important building block of our of our streaming strategy" and that "We're thinking of them as brands that we have to redefine".

David Ellison said "Nickelodeon is also one of those. Kids and family is so important to the world, and making sure that we're doing the right thing for Nick and that whole cadre of content is critically important to us as well."

While Paramount never got around to launching Paramount+ in South Africa, Paramount's new owners will now look to integrate the different streaming options like BET+ and Pluto TV in the United States all into Paramount+, similar to what Disney has done with Disney+.

In South Africa, Paramount+ is a content tile on MultiChoice's Showmax video streaming service that MultiChoice runs in partnership with NBCUniversal.

SABC starts retrenchment process to possibly get rid of up to 180 sales staffers

by Thinus Ferreira

The embattled South African public broadcaster is looking to possibly get rid of up to 180 staffers across its various sales divisions and served them with Section 189 notices on Tuesday, telling them they might be out of work by 15 October 2025.

If the SABC's latest retrenchment process continues, up to 180 sales staffers will have 28 November 2025 as their last working day.

Workers compensation has become the SABC's largest single expense on the balance sheet.

The SABC is looking at retrenching across multiple sections of its sprawling sales division - 180 employees in total.

The retrenchments will potentially be across the SABC's sales divisions of enterprise sales, corporate sales, government sales, SMME (Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises), digital sales, sports sales, category management including RAP radio and product management), sales operations, Ad-venture sales, the sales intelligence division, as well as sales governance and the deals team.

The SABC's sales division has been underperforming for years.

The SABC told the BEMAWU trade union that the 180 sales division jobs it wants to get rid of is "part of a contemplated restructuring exercise aimed at addressing financial challenges and ensuring long-term sustainability".

According to the SABC's notice to BEMAWU, the sales division's underperformance has had a negative knock-on effect on the public broadcaster that is threatening its sustainability. 

The broadcaster says it already considered alternative options like cost-cutting through various austerity measures, but now sees restructuring and possible retrenchments as necessary.

The last time the SABC went on a major jobs cut was in 2020 and 2021.

It saw hundreds of staffers leave the SABC and included the gutting of its publicity division for its television content that never recovered, although rivals from Netflix and MultiChoice to various pay-TV channels keep spending on using PR people.

According to the SABC, it wants to restructure its sales division "to optimise revenue generation and strengthen commercial capabilities" to position its SABC News and SABC Sports divisions as top content choices for advertisers, and to build better digital sales expertise, as well as growing regional commercial structures.

Notably, the SABC isn't planning on getting rid of people working in SABC TV Licence roles who are expected to remain unaffected by the retrenchment process.

The SABC's consultation process is set to start on 15 August and will be facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) at the SABC Radio Park building in Auckland Park in Johannesburg, with the trade union that gets to nominate 4 representatives by 14 August.

UPDATE Thursday 14 August 2025 17:03:

The SABC issued a statement saying it has "noted several media reports regarding the development of its new sales operating model and would like to provide clarity".

"The SABC is not engaged in a process aimed at reducing headcount in the sales division. Instead, the SABC has initiated an organisational design review to ensure that the sales function is fit for purpose, both for the current market realities and for the future."

"The intent of this process is not to cut costs, but to realign roles, reorganise functions, and create efficiencies that better serve our mandate and commercial objectives."

"The final structure may result in the same number of roles or even an increase, depending on the outcome of the consultation process. All affected employees will have the opportunity to be considered for roles in the new structure."

"It is therefore misleading and irresponsible to report that the SABC's objective is to "get rid" of staff. Our focus remains on strengthening our sales function to better compete in the market and to safeguard the SABC's sustainability."

"We acknowledge and sincerely thank our sales teams for their continued commitment, resilience, and dedication in driving the SABC's commercial efforts. We appreciate their understanding and patience as we work through this process together."

UPDATE Friday 15 August 2025

The Communications Workers Union (CWU) in a statement says "The CWU is deeply outraged by the SABC's latest attempt to implement a Section 189 retrenchment process without complying with the basic legal requirements set out in the Labour Relations Act (LRA).

"We have become aware that the SABC on 12 August 2025 issued a Section 189A notice and directly invited only one union – BEMAWU – to the consultation process through written correspondence."

"CWU, a recognised and representative union at the SABC, was neither notified in writing nor invited to participate in the consultations as required by law."

"This is not only a blatant violation of Section 189 of the LRA, which compels the employer to consult with all recognised trade unions whose members may be affected, but also a deliberate act of exclusion aimed at undermining the voice of hundreds of workers represented by the CWU."

"The SABC's conduct demonstrates bad faith, disregard for fair labour practice, and a complete erosion of trust in the consultation process."

"This reckless behaviour jeopardises the livelihoods of workers and erodes the democratic values that the public broadcaster is meant to uphold."

The CWU says it calls on "The SABC board to immediately halt the current retrenchment process and remedy this legal and procedural breach" and for South Africa's minister of communications and digital technology to "urgently intervene to ensure that SABC complies with the law and respects the rights of all recognised unions".

"The workers of SABC deserve transparency, fairness, and respect – not backdoor deals and procedural ambushes."