BREAKING. SABC literally falling apart - lift plunges at Aucklandpark headquarters as SABC warns workers about 'abnormal lift outages'.

SABC workers are fearing for their safety as the SABC seems to be falling further and further apart: this morning a lift at the South African public broadcaster fell and plunged several floors, after which the SABC warned its "First Citizens" in a corporation-wide message about "abnormal lift outages".

"Lifts in the SABC are in a deplorable situation," an SABC insider told TV with Thinus this morning.

"This morning one of the lifts in the SABC's radio building fell several floors from the 4th floor to -2. Luckily the emergency brakes kicked in."

"Several of the lifts at the SABC are no longer in working order. SABC personnel often have to wait up to 10 minutes for an available lift. Others climb steps to get where they have to be," said the source.

In 2014 SABC workers got so frustrated with the broken down lifts that a worker put up a satirical note in the lifts telling SABC personnel to rather take the steps to try and reach the top, and if they don't they clearly lack ambition.

Some SABC workers didn't realise the note was a joke. The SABC called the note "sabotage".

In November 2014 the SABC suspended its head of IT, Sipho Masinga just after he released a scathing report about the shocking state of the SABC's infrastructure.

This afternoon the broadcaster told SABC workers, which the broadcaster always refer to as "First Citizens" that the broadcaster "is currently experiencing an abnormal amount of lift outages at this time on the Radiopark Low Rise lifts and as First Citizen you are requested to be patient".

The SABC told SABC staff in an internal message that "the situation is getting the necessary intervention".

The SABC admitted to SABC workers that "of the five low rise lifts installed in Radio Park only lift B is working".

"The service provider is aware of the situation and will be providing extra personnel to give attention to the repair of these lifts".

The SABC's corporate communications tasked with responding to media enquiries, calls a media enquiry that TV with Thinus made not serious, although the SABC itself in its email to staff called the lift problem "abnormal".

The SABC's communications executive Vuyo Mthembu tells TV with Thinus that "if you do not have a serious enquiry please do not write to us. The issue of lifts has nothing to do with you!"

Meanwhile members of the public invited to the broadcaster, SABC staff, talent and producers use the SABC lifts daily and all South Africans with a TV licence pay are required to pay for an SABC TV licence which makes them all a public shareholder - the biggest one - in the SABC.