South Africa's new communications minister Ayanda Dlodlo says she is shocked that the SABC allegedly sold the public broadcaster's archives to pay-TV operator MultiChoice in Hlaudi Motsoeneng's controversial deal, that she doesn't understand how it could happen and that it makes no sense.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ayanda Dlodlo says "I'm not even sure what the relationship is" between MultiChoice and the SABC.
She's talking about the highly contentious and controversial deal the SABC's former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng signed in which the SABC provides the SABC News (DStv 404) and shoddily-run SABC Encore (DStv 156) channel with old rerun library series to DStv.
"From where I sit, the archives of the SABC are the arhives of the South African nation. My gut response is that I cannot understand how we could hand over the archives of a national asset to a private entity which is also your chief competitor," said Ayanda Dlodlo.
"On the face of it I don't see how it makes sense. I really don't."
Asked if she's going to undo the MultiChoice SABC deal, Ayanda Dlodlo says "I would first have to see what the terms and conditions of that are."
Asked if Ayanda Dlodlo is going to withdraw the controversial Broadcasting Amendment Bill, she said "I don't know. I haven't gone through the bill. I've been asking for a copy and I'm still waiting."
