by Thinus Ferreira
On Monday 19 October, the South African public broadcaster will add SABC News Live on its SABC+ video streaming service as a temporary digital channel for the 2026 local government elections, showing election-related content, including podcasts, short-format video, as well as live "minute-by-minute coverage".
SABC News Live will run for 4 weeks
While the SABC has a SABC News linear TV channel that is already available on SABC+, and also available on DStv of Canal+'s MultiChoice, the broadcaster's SABC News Live, as a temporary so-called "pop-up channel" will show content around the upcoming elections.
SABC News+ will do election coverage and include "stories shaping communities across South Africa".
SABC News Live will also carry, just like SABC News, live election coverage on 4 November and in the lead-up to voting day.
The SABC says that SABC News Live will "explore creative and innovative digital storytelling formats, including podcasts and other audience-focused content, to encourage greater participation in electoral conversations and make election coverage more accessible to digitally connected communities".
Mbali Lesabe, SABC News acting head of output, says SABC News Live is launched to "bridge a gap".
"On the SABC's main terrestrial platforms, it's scheduled programming. SABC News Live allows audiences to have access and it gives them convenience".
"As the SABC, we need to be where the audiences are. Most of the audience is now sitting on the digital platforms, so for us to be relevant, we need to ensure that we bring content that is accessible, that speaks to the people."
She says SABC News Live will follow "the same kind of editorial processes that we actually follow on the mainstream that is what we continue to follow".
"We need to expand our reach and to do that we need to be relevant to now the younger audiences. The ones still sitting on the mainstream platforms are your traditional viewers who still wait for the 7 0'clocl news bulletin."
She says the content carried on SABC News Live, "we will follow the same kind of scrutiny and same kind of editorial processes that we do for all our content".
Immah Ncube, SABC over-the-top (OTT) and digital media manager, says the broadcaster "has young people who are going to be creating podcasts, we are going to be creating short-video formats".
"On top of that, we also have an offering of video-on-demand content that people can access on SABC+, as well as explainers which are going to be part of the variety of content."
