Confusion grows over SABC's scheduling plan with Afrikaans TV news bulletins on weekdays at over weekends

by Thinus Ferreira

The SABC continues to say no timeslot and TV channel changes are in store for its Afrikaans TV news bulletin although the South African public broadcaster's own schedules shows different.

The ongoing secrecy and growing confusion about what exactly the SABC's plans are with its damaged Afrikaans TV news bulletin leads to greater uncertainty under diminished news viewers in terms of ratings, as well as the local ad biz.

In the past week the public broadcaster without explanation did a U-turn on its plan to move and change the weekend Afrikaans TV news on Saturdays and Sundays to SABC3 and the 19:30 timeslot and making it a half-hour in duration again.

The plan has also been to move the Afrikaans TV news bulletin on weekdays to 17:30 on SABC3 from its current much later timeslot of 20:30.

The SABC continues to say that no schedule changes are being made to the Afrikaans TV news bulletin.

The SABC's own, latest schedules it publishes and uses for SABC+ and elsewhere and also sends out to others like MultiChoice for the DStv electronic programme guide (EPG) showed last week that the weekend news bulletins are moving to SABC3 and 19:30, and the weekday bulletins to 17:30 on SABC2.

The SABC's own schedules displayed the new times and channel change and for the coming weekend the SABC schedule shows the Afrikaans news for half an hour on SABC3 at 19:30.

These new times and channel change from this month aligns with what SABC insiders since April said it being planned. 

It is also what Danielle Wass, bulletin editor of the SABC's Afrikaans TV news, last month announced on RSG.

She said that the weekend Afrikaans TV news bulletins from Juky would move from 18:15 on SABC2 to 19:30 on SABC3, and that the weekday Afrikaans TV news bulletins would move from 20:30 on SABC3 to 17:30.

She further revealed that the SABC had done no market or audience research before the SABC decided to move the Afrikaans TV news bulletins on evenings on SABC2 to the much later timeslot of 20:30 on SABC3.

These changes already cost the SABC hundreds of thousands of viewers who are no longer watching it, or can't watch it since they're unable to receive SABC3 as the terrestrial TV channel with the smallest broadcast reach.

Together with this the SABC had lost millions of rand in potential ad income.

After a media query last week the SABC in a general press statement said it "would like to clarify that no new schedule changes have been implemented to the Afrikaans TV news as of July 2025. The Afrikaans TV news continues to be broadcast in its existing timeslots".

"Any future changes will be communicated officially by the SABC. We remain committed to serving our audience with accuracy, stability and quality programming".

Mmoni Ngubane, SABC spokesperson, didn't respond with answers to the specific questions that was posed to the broadcaster about the Afrikaans TV news.

The SABC was asked about the changes for the weekday and weekend news seen on schedules, how the Afrikaans TV news bulletin that has an older-skewing audience fits in on SABC3 as the smallest TV channel that say its catering to and that it's target market is millenials.

The SABC was also asked what market research the broadcaster had done before the Afrikaans news was moved last year, and apparently now again.

An influential ad placing executive does business with the SABC and therefore doesn't want to mention a name since it could damage the relationship, with the company allocating where millions of rands worth of ads budgets from various advertisers are directed to across various South African TV channels.

The person warns that the SABC's ongoing audience confusion around the Afrikaans TV news bulletin is bad for business and the broadcaster.

"The SABC's Afrikaans TV news viewers are increasingly shifting to one of the DStv channels or e.tv or online."

"The more consistent you can be, the more viewers you will have and that bring in advertisers. What the SABC is actually doing is to confuse the consumer. And when a viewer is confused, they stop watching or look away. And then we start to look away on behalf of advertisers."

"Maybe the move to 17:30 for the Afrikaans TV news on SABC3 works and the SABC gets millions of viewers but it's extremely unlikely," the person says.

"The SABC forgets that a lot of people are still at work and in traffic.It's a stupid time to place the Afrikaans TV news on TV, especially for a valuable sought-after audience like Afrikaans viewers. It's quite stupid."

Last week the SABC started advertising a position for a senior Afrikaans TV news bulletin writer.

ALSO READ: With 'trial and error' SABC moves Afrikaans news again - now to 5:30pm on SABC3 on weekdays and 7:30pm on weekends

SABC's weekend Afrikaans TV news bulletins on SABC2 abruptly disappears without warning over the first weekend of April 2025

by Thinus Ferreira

The Afrikaans TV news bulletins disappeared this past weekend from the SABC, without any prior warning or explanation, with no Afrikaans TV news bulletin on Saturday 5 April, nor Sunday 6 April, on SABC2 at 18:15, or any other SABC TV channel at any other time.

There was no warning before the weekend started from the SABC or to viewers that there won't be any Afrikaans TV news bulletins on Saturday or Sunday.

On the evening of Friday 4 April, SABC2 Afrikaans TV news reader Willem Pelser at the end of the SABC Nuus broadcast only said "enjoy the weekend". 

The previous Friday Willem Pelser at the end of that Friday's broadcast still said "we greet you until tomorrow evening", meaning Saturday.  

A year ago, the SABC removed the Afrikaans TV news bulletins from SABC2 and decided to place these on SABC3 during the week and in the late timeslot of 20:30, and on weekends on SABC2 at 18:15 - a move that was highly criticised by viewers.

The 5 and 6 April weekend marks the first weekend of the month, and April was also the start of the South African public broadcaster's new financial year.

On social media a SABC viewer like Beatrix on Saturday asked: "SABC2, Why is there no Afrikaans news tonight? I'm not paying my TV licence again!! #SABC2fail ".

It's as yet unclear whether the Afrikaans TV news bulletins SABC Nuus on SABC2 over a weekend have been cancelled permanently from April, whether it's absence is a once-off, or what the reason for its sudden and unexplained absence is. 

When the SABC provides an explanation, it will be added here.

UPDATE Tuesday 8 April 2025 12:15pm: The SABC has just issued a press statement:

"The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) wishes to address concerns arising from the non-broadcast of the Afrikaans television news bulletin this past weekend. We acknowledge that the bulletin did not air in its regular time slot on Saturday and Sunday, and we confirm that this was a scheduling error. This should not have happened."

"As management, we are treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves, and consequence management processes are currently underway to address the internal oversight that led to this unfortunate incident."

"We want to assure the public and our stakeholders that there is no plan or decision to discontinue or deprioritise Afrikaans news."

"The Afrikaans television news bulletin continues to air as scheduled from Monday to Friday, and the weekend bulletin will also continue in its regular time slot going forward."

"Afrikaans remains an important part of our public broadcasting mandate, just as all South African languages are. The SABC is committed to providing equitable access to news and information in all official languages."

"The SABC is actively working on a broader content and scheduling strategy aimed at strengthening our language offering, including Afrikaans. This process is part of our new financial year’s content strategy and will be communicated more fully in due course."

"We acknowledge the deep concern this weekend’s error has caused, particularly within Afrikaans-speaking communities. We extend our sincere and heartfelt apology to the South African public, and especially to those who felt aggrieved by this disruption."

"In closing, we reiterate: Afrikaans news has not been discontinued. Afrikaans News currently broadcasts at 20:30 Mondays - Fridays on S3. Weekend Afrikaans bulletins will continue in their current time slot, 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays on SABC 2. The SABC remains committed to all languages as part of its constitutional and public service mandate."

"We appreciate the continued engagement from the public, civil society organisations, and political parties, and we remain open to further dialogue in the spirit of transparency and inclusivity."