The only light coming from the SABC's latest 2015/16 financial report and its R411 million loss is that it's safely disposing of its flourescent lights that contain hazardous chemicals and mercury vapor.
That's little comfort to SABC staff and the
public who are recoiling at its latest set of dismal results that saw the
SABC's financial position worsen further, posting it's 6th consecutive qualified audit with another growing loss as its cash balance
plunged precipitously below the R1 billion mark to R881 million.
While the SABC's financial report describes
its controversial executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng as someone who has been "proven
to be a leader of note", the reality is that Hlaudi Motsoeneng – whose salary
ballooned further from R3.7 to R4.19 million – oversaw a period in which the
SABC slid further back as the beleaguered SABC continues to lurch from crisis
tot crisis.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng is now the best-paid single
individual at the SABC.
The now-fired head of TV Verona Duwarkah
pocketed R2.69 million, and the now-axed CEO Frans Matlala got R3.6 million for
9 months.
The SABC report only states that he was placed on suspension and
doesn't say why. James Aguma, chief financial officer, and now acting CEO,
earned R3.62 million.
SABC chairperson Obert Maguvhe pocketed
R637 000 – more than the R537 000 the disgraced former chairperson
Ellen Tshabalala got in the previous financial year.
SABC audience share falls again, down to
48.8%
While the SABC's TV channels SABC1, SABC2 and
SABC3 attract audiences of 28.8 million, 26.9 million and 21 million viewers
per week, the reality is that the SABC's average audience share fell yet again
to 48.8%.
That's down from 57% in 2011/2012 and 53% in 2012/2013.
The SABC admits that it missed its target of
52% and blames "increased competition and changing audience content consumption
patterns" for its falling share.
In radio the SABC radio stations managed an
adult (listeners older than 15) audience share of only 69.9%, meaning that
almost a third of people who can listen to one of the SABC’s radio stations
don't want to.
The financial report interestingly doesn't
cover the latest period during which Hlaudi Motsoeneng haphazardly introduced a 90%
quota for local music needletime on its radio stations and a barrage of failed
local TV content that saw viewers flee.
This will still negatively impact
on both TV audience share and advertising income, the impact of which will only
become evident in the 2016/2017 financials.
In the latest report, the SABC admits further
that its "SABC online websites did not fare as expected and delivered an 11%
year-on-year growth rate in page views" far below the 15% target and blames
social media like Facebook and Twitter.
The auditor-general (AG) slammed the SABC for
not having "adequate document management systems in place to identify irregular
expenditure" and that the SABC "incurred expenditure in vain, which could have
been avoided had reasonable care been exercised that were not included in
fruitless and wasteful expenditure".
The SABC admits that "high levels of fee
payment evasion by SABC licence holders" continues. As the SABC continues to
spend millions to try and gather SABC TV licence income, the income from SABC
TV licence collection fees continue to go down.
While the SABC struggles and blames expensive
international sports rights, having to cover events of national importance it
apparently can't budget for, and investments in technology to switch out
analogue equipment for the loss, its already indicated that it plans to create
and broadcast even more TV and radio channels in future while its having
problems scheduling content on its existing channels that attract audiences.
A 1 001 direct complaints
The SABC's latest 143 page financial report
is once again filled with interesting, and some unintentionally funny, nuggets.
The
first factual lies occurs on page 11 where the SABC says its SABC News channel
on MultiChoice's DStv channel 404 "broadcasts mainly in English,with
African-language bulletins provided during the evening slots".
The fact is the
SABC canned all the bulletins in vernacular languages in this channel during
the reporting period.
The
SABC reports that when it conducted evacuation drills at its Auckland Park
headquarters, "no injuries or fatalities were reported".
While
the SABC says in its report that the tap water in buildings was tested monthly
and found "algae and cholera free", it bisarrely pays Freshy Water to supply
the SABC with "premium-quality drinking water".
Actress
Michelle Botes left the SABC3 soap Isidingo in 2014 but the SABC
still includes a publicity image of her character Cherel in its financial
report with Barker Haines.
The
SABC touts its SABC Beauty Salon, popular under "the production crew of Generations
and Ashes to Ashes" (an e.tv drama).
The
SABC got 1 001 direct complaints, mostly related to SABC TV licences and
people angry over SABC scheduling.
The SABC did "noise, air and light surveys". It is addressing waste management and
is addressing the removal of "hazardous chemicals, which for the SABC, is
flourescent tubes which contain mercury vapor".
