The SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng says "SABC is rocking all the way" and that soon "we'll even beat MultiChoice", vowing that the SABC will have "better pictures" than DStv when South Africa switches from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The SABC's controversial and famously
matricless chief operating officer (COO) spoke at the latest The New Age breakfast briefing in
Fourways, telling the audience that "SABC is rocking all the way" and that "SABC
is superb".
Hlaudi Motsoeneng was adamant that "SABC is not
going to collapse".
He again used the platform, with a lot of physical finger-pointing,
to slam South African journalists and politicians for the "propaganda" they're making
out of reporting on and mentioning alleged irregular and wasteful expenditure
at the SABC. "Some people they are making propaganda out of that," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
Speaking at the latest breakfast briefing and
sitting next to the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi on the stage, Hlaudi Motsoeneng said SABC viewers will get SABC channels that have better image
quality once the long-delayed switch-over happens from analogue broadcasting to
digital terrestrial television (DTT).
"The picture that you see on television will
be better pictures across the board. Whether you're from QwaQwa, whether you're
from Venda, you'll see everything the same. The pictures will be okay. We'll
even beat that MultiChoice," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng to audience laughter.
"SABC is not going to collapse," admonished Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "When you go to SABC, people within SABC they're very happy.
Because today they know that they are getting paid. They also know that if they
do well, the company is doing well, we also reward them. We give them bonus," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"For the first time we have put more than
R600 million to put on local content. That shows the growth of the SABC and the
sustainability of the organisation."
"There is this notion that when you pay TV
licence, you are paying the salaries of the employees of the organisation. When
you pay TV licence you pay for content. So that we are able to contribute to
producing content," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"Let me come to the propaganda of some
people, who always mislead the country about the SABC," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"If you are saying SABC is collapsing, which
means you always you are collapsing where you are, now. Not the SABC. And the
SABC will never collapse under this leadership. I just want to clear that. We
have put a good strategy to deal with issues," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"We need to ask the question: Who is the
public? Because always people are saying the views of the public. The public
are not happy about the SABC. The fact of the matter. Those people who are
competing with the SABC, they are not happy because they see SABC is doing well."
"Generations
is doing well now. Doing very, very well now, Generations. When you talk about commercial archives, there is no way
where we can't licence commercial archives. How are we going to pay those
actors? How are we going to pay the production house if we don't licence to
other broadcasters?" said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"That is business of all broadcasters. If you
see the soapies that people are complaining about, those soapies from
international, what you call it? It's commercial archives."
"We also get licence
from those broadcasters to broadcast those soapies or dramas. So if you don't
have knowledge, don't deal with these issues."
