by Thinus Ferreira
Parliament's portfolio committee meeting to further discuss the controversial SABC Bill set for Wednesday has abruptly been postponed indefinitely.
The flawed SABC Bill was withdrawn in November 2024 by South Africa's communications minister Solly Malatsi who is from South Africa's DA political party but is being kept alive on artificial life support by committee chairperson Khusela Diko who is from the ANC political party.
Public broadcasting pressure groups as well as the industry have explained in detail to the politicians, numerous times - and again today - exactly how and why the SABC Bill is fatally flawed and why work on a bill should start from scratch instead of moving forward with the withdrawn bill.
Khusela Diko has been adamant that the badly done SABC Bill should be pushed forward with amendments.
While the two politicians from different political parties are fighting the technically insolvent SABC struggles on as an ailing public broadcaster in desperate need of a better legislative and regulatory dispensation in South Africa to ensure its survival as global streamers are making inroads and France's Canal+ is getting ready to take control of MultiChoice.
Late on Monday Khusela Diko decided that Wednesday's planned briefing meeting of the portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies on the SABC Bill is "postponed until further notice".
According to Khusela Diko, the SABC Bill briefing was postponed "at the request of Solly Malatsi to allow engagement between the leader of government business, deputy president Paul Mashatile; the speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza; and Solly Malatsi to find a resolution to the current impasse on the SABC Bill".
