by Thinus Ferreira
The SABC has axed 12 SABC radio station managers who are all out of jobs as part of the acrimonious retrenchment process at the financially struggling South African public broadcaster with the radio stations that are being bundled into new management "combos".
In a SABC Radio division bloodbath the broadcaster is letting go of Mamontha Motaung (Lesedi FM), Madikana Matjila (Thobela FM), Lawrence Ubisi (Munghana Lonene FM), Rio Mabunda (LigwalagwalaFM), Phumzile Mnci (Umhlobo Wenene), Magdaleen Kruger (RSG - retiring), Sibongile Mtyali (Metro FM), Puleng Thulo (Radio 2000), Alvin Pillay (Lotus FM), Jade Mostert (5FM), Freddy Sadiki (Phalaphala FM) and the Ukhozi FM station manager position which is currently vacant with an acting person in the job.
The shocking axing of radio station managers who are losing their positions is just a fraction of the hundreds of staffers who are being let go after they've been told their current positions at the bloated SABC has been made redundant.
Also gone for instance are all of the publicists working at the SABC's SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 TV channels and who handle media enquiries and issue schedules and programming information to the media, raising questions as to how the SABC plans to let the press and through them the public, know what is being shown on its television channels.
The SABCs latest turnaround plan includes a reallocation of the various SABC radio stations in different "groupings" that will be known as "combos".
Thobela FM, Phalaphala FM and Mughana Lonene FM will now be part of the new so-called "Limpopo Combo", while SAFM, Lotus FM and Radio 2000 will be in the new grouping known as the "Fortune Combo".
5FM and Good Hope FM will be the "PCA Combo", while Ligwalagwala FM and Ikwekwezi FM will fall under the "Mpumalanga Combo". Motsweding FM and Lesedi FM will be the "Inland Combo", while Umhlobo Wenene and TruFM will be the SABC's "Eastern Cape Combo".
Metro FM, Ukhozi FM, RSG and the SABC's international radio channel, Channel Africa, will be the "Strategic Combo". Station managers, some of whom have been in their positions running the radio stations for years, say they were told they're being let go because they don't have "the necessasry qualifications".
The SABC in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus on Monday says "The SABC can confirm that the new organisational
structure came with changes for all affected positions including titles and
reporting lines, however, this will not in any way affect the SABC's operations".
Vuyo Mthembu, SABC spokesperson, says "It must be noted that radio management remains a critical function
for the organisation. In the new structure, marketing managers will be
reporting directly to corporate affairs and marketing to ensure efficiency in
the delivery of the organisation’s marketing objectives".
"Furthermore, station managers are now called business managers as this will ensure that business managers of each station take full ownership of the profit and loss responsibility,
drive revenue and listenership growth whilst fulfilling the SABC’s mandate of
informing, educating and entertaining South Africans."
"SABC management is confident that
its turnaround plan, which is geared at ensuring a sustainable and financially
viable public broadcaster and has already begun bearing fruitful results in
terms of revenue generation, will be further enhanced by the transition
into the new fit-for-purpose structure and target operating model (TOM)."
"In addition, the SABC will always remain committed to fulfilling its public service mandate, through our various radio and television platforms, which will never be compromised".
The SABC was asked that, given that it's losing a lot of institutional history and management skills of people who have managed its radio stations over years, how this loss will damage the broadcaster and how it will try to mitigate this. The SABC didn't answer the specific question.
