by Thinus Ferreira
South Africa's Auditor-General (AG) says it's doubtful that the country's dilapidated public broadcaster can remain operational after the struggling SABC posted another financial loss, this time R201 million for the financial year until the end of March 2022 and once again caused millions of rand to be lost in wasteful expenditure after buying content it ended up never broadcasting.
According to Tsakani Maluleke there is doubt over the SABC's ability to continue operating in the foreseeable future despite so-called "turnaround strategy" after turnaround strategy implemented by the SABC and the struggling broadcaster decreasing losses.
Tsakani Maluleke said the AG's office wasn't able to get sufficient audit evidence that the SABC's irregular expenditure for the previous financial years were accounted for.
"Consequently, I was unable to determine whether any adjustment was necessary to the irregular expenditure disclosure stated at R2.8 billion,” she said. The AG was also unable to get evidence that proper disciplinary steps were taken against staff who were responsible for irregular expenditure at the SABC in prior years.
Tsakani Maluleke says the SABC failed to take effective and appropriate steps to prevent wasteful expenditure amounting to R10 million.
The SABC got rid of 621 staffers by the end of March 2021 who were retrenched. But then the SABC advertised 671 vacancies and appointed 414 new people during the 2021/2022 financial year.
