The SABC has appointed 4 SABC radio business managers as part of the South African public broadcaster's restructuring and retrenchment process that will see multiple SABC radio station managers lose their jobs after the station manager positions have been axed.
The SABC says that "these critical appointments form part of the new structure of the corporation's radio portfolio that will ensure audience and revenue growth".
Sbongi Ngcobo has been appointed as business manager for Ukhozi FM, while Jade Mostert has been appointed as the business manager for the new so-called "PCS Combo" that will include the 5FM and Good Hope FM radio stations.
Louise Jooste has been appointed as the business manager for RSG, while Madikana Matjila has been appointed as the business manager for the so-called "Limpopo Combo that will include the Munghana Lonene FM, Thobela FM and Phalaphala FM radio stations.
The 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 is still to announce the appointments for the business manager positions for the so-called new "Fortune Combo (SAfm, Radio 2000 and Lotus FM), the "Eastern Cape Combo" (Umhlobo Wenene FM and tru FM), the "Inland Combo" (Motsweding FM and Lesedi FM) and the so-called new "Mpumalanga Combo" (Ikwekwezi FM and Ligwalagwala FM).
Before her new appointment, she was Ukhozi FM's acting station manager, a position she has held from February 2018.
She has been the acting programme manager and has worked with Magdaleen Kruger as RSG station manager who is going on retirement.
