The Democratic Alliance political party says that it opposes plans by the South African public broadcaster to increase SABC TV licence fees.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party on Wednesday in a statement said that it is against the plans of the South African public broadcaster that wants to increase SABC TV licence fees.

On Wednesday SABC board members and top executives appeared before parliament's select committee on public enterprise and communications where Yolande van Biljon, the SABC's chief financial officer (COO), revealed that the SABC had drafted a proposal for an increase in SABC TV licence fees which was send to Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, the minister of communications.

Yolande van Biljon told the parliamentary committee that the struggling SABC has less fresh content because the technically insolvent and cash-strapped broadcaster is using money that is supposed to go to content investment to pay staff salaries.

"The DA is opposed to any additional - what would be in essence - taxation of already over-burdened South African taxpayers, as well as those who are impoverished and struggling to put food on the table," said Phumzile Van Dam, the DA's member of parliament for communications, in a statement.

"We call on the public broadcaster to find new revenue streams to stay afloat instead of imposing increases to TV licenses fees. The SABC needs to find innovative measures to strengthen their collection of revenue as poor South Africans will, without doubt, be unlikely to afford increased licence fees."

"The SABC must position itself as a trustworthy and properly managed entity to encourage current TV licence holders to make payments."

"Furthermore, the broadcaster should explore purchasing content that will attract viewers – by doing so doing, they will see an increase in advertising revenue. Advertising makes out the bulk of the SABC's revenue, and an increase in advertising will surely be a boost for the SABC."

"We look forward to feedback regarding funding of the SABC – especially given the fact that the public broadcaster is still reeling from the financial consequences of well-chronicled years of mismanagement, looting and governance failures," said Phumzile van Dam.

"The public should not have to pay for the SABC’s sins through additional TV license fees. We trust that the current SABC management will prove its mettle, by steering the SABC to a profitable position."

South Africa's COPE and EFF political parties join the Democratic Alliance in calling for a boycott of the controversial and divisive 'Guptanews' ANN7 channel on DStv.

On Tuesday in South Africa the COPE political party called for a ban and thorough investigation of the controversial and divisive "Guptanews" ANN7 (DStv 405) TV channel carried by MultiChoice on its DStv satellite pay-TV platform, joining the EFF and Democratic Alliance political parties that previously called for an ANN7 ban.

The EFF and the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party both called for a boycott and ban of the slanted and blooper-filled ANN7 earlier this year, and the EFF again did so on Tuesday.

These parties have now been joined by COPE - representing the majority of South Africa's opposition parties.

COPE's call for a shutdown of ANN7 and a thorough investigation into the controversial TV channel from Infinity Media Networks owned by Oakbay Investments, comes a day after Oakbay announced that ANN7 and The New Age newspaper are being "sold" through a vendor loan for R450 million to the former ANC spin tsar Mzwanele "Jimmy" Manyi.

Jimmy Manyi is a Gupta acolyte and a frequent on-air "analyst" on the "fake news" channel that stews in biased news through slanted, rhetorical questions put to one-sided panelists and where the Bell-Pottinger PR invented catchphrase of "white monopoly capital" to deflect from South African state capture is employed daily, and often.

COPE wants a thorough investigation of the R450 million deal between the Guptas' Oakbay and Jimmy Manyi's Lodidox pop-up shelf company, and is calling for a recall of ANN7's broadcasting license as a TV channel on MultiChoice's platform.

COPE calls the Oakbay-Manyi transaction to suddenly "buy" ANN7 and The New Age in a debt sale deal just days before the Bank of Baroda closes their bank accounts "extremely suspicious", saying that the "transaction is clouded in secrecy, giving rise to more questions than answers".

COPE wants to know who and how the deal was financed, what process was followed, and if South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) approved the sudden sale of ANN7.

In June the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for a boycott of ANN7 saying South Africans can't "allow the Guptas' propaganda to bring the credibility of our media into question".

"Hardworking and dedicated journalist and staff at both Gupta media houses are being abused by the corrupted political agendas of the ANC and the Guptas. The DA stands in solidarity with these journalists and staff who report with integrity, but are under enormous political pressure."

"It is time to stop giving The New Age and ANN7 the time of day, and see them for what they are: The Guptas’ own Closed Circuit Television. It is time to stop all funding of ANN7 and The New Age, to put a stop to the Guptas propaganda campaign."

The EFF political party reiterated its call for a boycott of ANN7, in a statement saying "There is nothing 'media transformation' about this deal; to call it this is like thinking the apartheid's creating of Bantustans was a progressive liberation move for black people".

"Like Bantustan leaders, Jimmy Manyi is a stooge representing the entrenchment of Gupta corruption in our country."

"We know that The New Age has been a sole beneficiary of many corrupt deals in state institutions like South African Airways (SAA) and the SABC, as well as in many state departments."

"This means The New Age should be returning all the money it made through illegal and questionable deals like that with the SABC Morning Live Business Breakfast briefings".

"We are not blind to the fact that Jimmy Manyi will continue the business of fake news and reporting that characterises the Gupta media empire. This is because Jimmy Manyi himself has been central to false propaganda and the defence of Zupta corruption that is killing many state institutions."

"He is the cheerleader of kleptocracy and a mascot of the Zupta corruption."

An online petition that was started on 30 March this year and calling for MultiChoice to remove ANN7 from DStv has so far attracted 12 578 signatures from angry DStv subscribers, making it the 3rd most signed online petition at Petitions24.com worldwide for 2017 so far.

MultiChoice has not yet responded to the petition.

Clueless Faith Muthambi contradicts ANC, says there's no crisis at the SABC; while ANC's latest policy document slams SABC over 'series of crises'.

The situation turned awkward for South Africa's clueless minister of communications Faith Muthambi who told parliament that there's "no crisis at the SABC" - although the ruling ANC political party says there's been "a series of crisis" at the beleaguered SABC.

On Wednesday, the embarrassed Faith Muthambi squirmed after she denied in parliament that the SABC was in crisis - only to be told that the ANC's new policy documents state that the SABC, riddled in crises, reflects a lack of leadership, and that those responsible for it are not being held to account.

"The SABC is not in crisis, you know it very well, it's not at all," Faith Muthambi told parliament on Wednesday. "I can assure you, SABC is on the right course, you know that, you know it very well that it's on the right course and it's delivering its public service mandate as expected."

Faith Muthambi appeared clueless and in denial about the state of the SABC according to the ANC - and contradicted her own political party as minister of communications.

The ANC's National General Council (NGC) latest discussion document on the SABC explicitly states: "The series of crises [plural] at the SABC reflect a lack of leadership, lack of accountability and poor management."

"In confronting the crises more emphasis has been placed on reporting process without a corresponding attention to holding those responsible to account for the financial and organisational maladministration that has brought the public broadcasting institution into crisis".

"The ABC says the SABC is in crisis as a result of leadership failure, while Faith Muthambi says there is no crisis," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party's member of parliament and a member of parliament's portfolio committee on communications.

"It is quite clear that many in the ANC are deeply embarrassed about the state of the SABC, not to mention Hlaudi Motsoeneng's [SABC chief operating officer] uncanny ability to bring the SABC into disrepute whenever he opens his mouth," says Gavin Davis.

"Faith Muthambi, on the other hand, is quite happy to let Hlaudi Motsoeneng continue wrecking our public broadcaster," says Gavin Davis.

Appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe as SABC chairperson condemned by South African political parties, IFP, DA and COPE.

The political appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe as new permanent SABC chairperson by president Jacob Zuma on Friday has been swiftly condemned by South African opposition parties like the IFP and the Democratic Alliance (DA), saying Maguvhe is being rewarded for getting rid of independently-minded SABC board members and protecting the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

On Friday president Jacob Zuma announced that Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe, who happens to be blind and who had been the acting SABC chairperson, has been appointed to the position permanently and that SABC board member Leah Khumalo has been appointed as new deputy SABC chairperson.

Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe took over as acting SABC chairperson at the beginning of 2015 after the scandalous exit of the disgraced and shamed Ellen Tshabalala who left in December 2014 after she was exposed for lying about tertiary qualifications she didn't have.

Prof. Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe then presided over the purging of the SABC board members Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi, leaving the unstable and gutted SABC board without a quorum.

"Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe proved his political usefulness further this year when, as acting chairperson of the SABC board, he illegally removed Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi," says the DA member of parliament and member of the portfolio committee on communications, Gavin Davis.

"It has since been confirmed by parliament's legal advisors that Maghuve's decision to remove these SABC board members was unlawful."

"He is now being rewarded for getting rid of excellent and independently-minded SABC board members and protecting Hlaudi Motsoeneng when he should have been fired."

"Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe's appointment is bad news for all South Africans who want the SABC to be the independent public broadcaster envisaged in our Constitution," says Gavin Davis.

The IFP said it rejected the political appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe and that the SABC and the SABC board will only become credible and effective when the struggling public broadcaster is separated from politics.

"For as long as it is treated as a cadre-deployment division of the ANC, it will not be able to fully and independently executive its mandate in the public interest," says the IFP member of parliament Liezl van der Merwe.

The IFP called Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe and Leah Khumalo "loyalists" of the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi and of Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The IFP says it rejects Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe appointment as new permanent SABC chairperson "because he must still be held to account for the unlawful and illegal removal of three independent-minded board members - Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi earlier this year."

The Congress of People (COPE called Prof Pbert Mbulaheni and Leah Khumalo "praise singers" and said "Luthuli House will in effect control the SABC," in a statement.

"The SABC, like the ruling party in parliament, will continue with whitewashing misdemeanours and continue to regard all us fools."

SABC refuses to give live coverage of the Democratic Alliance's federal congress taking place this weekend, says the DA.

The SABC which initially promised to give some live coverage of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Federal Congress this weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay has gone back on its decision to give any live terrestrial TV coverage on the public broadcaster of the country's official opposition party.

A day before the African National Congress' (ANC) last national elective conference in 2012 in Mangaung, the SABC boldly announced splashy plans, detailing extensive coverage and live crossings of hours of the 4-day event as well as extended Morning Live segments on SABC2 – but has now apparently backtracked on an earlier commitment to do the same for the DA.

There will be coverage of the DA's congress on the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404) on MultiChoice’s DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

While the DA will be electing a new leader at the DA's Congress to replace the outgoing Helen Zille, the SABC told the political party it won't be showing any of it on public television, although the SABC recently gave uninterrupted coverage for the ANC's birthday celebration on 8 January in Cape Town.

Ahead of the DA's Congress in Port Elizabeth from tomorrow, there's been no announcement from the SABC regarding any coverage – but the DA is now speaking out.

In a press statement, James Selfe, chairperson of the DA federal council is blasting the SABC, saying the political party learnt on Wednesday that the SABC would not be carrying any of the DA Congress happenings live on free-to-air television in South Africa.

"At this stage, the SABC is unwavering in their decision against agreements for live coverage," says James Selfe.

"It is manifestly in the public interest that a national elective congress of the official opposition in South Africa, representing 4 million votes, receives coverage on the national broadcaster. Both the public interest, and the SABC's own editorial policy, demand that this congress be broadcast to all South Africans, on the national broadcaster”.

The SABC's editorial policy states that the SABC gives full or extended live television and radio coverage to "broadcasting events of national importance".

According to James Selfe, the SABC first agreed to broadcast live for 2 hours on Saturday morning, covering the opening ceremony and the outgoing leader Helen Zille's speech, but that the public broadcaster decided to no longer honour that commitment.

James Selfe said he had a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon with the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews but that "the SABC is unwavering in their decision against agreements for live coverage".

"I've spoken to Hlaudi Motsoeneng [the SABC's chief operating officer] and he said he would get back to me Friday," said James Selfe.

"Should the SABC not reconsider this about-turn on live coverage for this DA Federal Congress, the DA will take steps against the SABC which may include approaching the High Court to review their decision," said James Selfe.

SHOCKER. SA BROADCASTING REGULATOR BANS POLITICAL TV ADVERT BANNED BY SABC, THEN ALLOWED, NOW BANNED AGAIN.

Freedom of speech in South Africa is under threat whether citizens of the Republic of South Africa realise it or not: the South African broadcasting regulator in a late announced meeting on Friday of its Complaints and Compliance committee, banned a political party's TV commercial which the public broadcaster banned, was then forced to show, and is now banned again.

In a shocking about turn, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on Friday evening - shortly after announcing at 15:04 that a "public hearing" would take place at 17:00 on the Friday preceding a long weekend - banned the political TV advert of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Nothing of the so-called "public hearing" was public where Icasa suddenly  bulldozed through a ban of the TV commercial as it is in its current form, reversing its decision of a week ago to unban the commercial after Icasa was threatened with legal action.

The shocking about turn from South Africa's broadcasting regulator a week later, now publicly shows that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has become as politically infected and its independence as severely politically compromised as the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

Icasa has now become complicit in silently, dutifully, kowtowing to the ruling political party.

The "Ayisafani" TV commercial was banned by the SABC which also banned a political TV advert of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party, although other broadcasters had no problem playing and showing it.

Last week the South African broadcasting regulator ordered the SABC to start broadcasting the banned DA commercial immediately. While the SABC then banned the EFF commercial, Icasa dragged its feet this entire week in holding a Complaints and Compliance hearing.

On Friday evening Icasa quietly suddenly did an about turn and banned the DA election advert at the public hearing which had no closing arguments - meaning that the EFF advert will also be - and effectively remain - banned.

By Friday night Icasa has not issued any public statement about the broadcasting regulator banning the TV commercial, explaining why.

The DA now plans to take the matter to court for a high court ruling.

The shocking about turn of Icasa comes after the South African Police - which today abused a South African TV reporter, physically grabbed his cellphone and deleted photos off of it at an ANC election rally - told Icasa that the DA and EFF adverts "incites violence" and makes the police look bad.

"The police should not be seen as a threat to the community," Wandile Tutani, chairperson of Icasa's Complaints and Compliance committee said.