Troubled SABC's massive latest survival plan includes axing a third of its staff, closing 5 regional bureaus and dissolving SABC Sport as part of latest turnaround plan - report.

The embattled and financially gutted South African public broadcaster's latest dramatic survival plan includes getting rid of a third of its total workforce including axing thousands of workers, closing down 5 of its regional SABC offices, shutting down the SABC Sport division and reducing management by 37% in order to try and save it.

Last week during the SABC's appearance in parliament before the portfolio committee on communications, the details of the SABC's turnaround plan was not shared with the South African public with SABC executives that said that the details were "commercially sensitive".

With South Africa's national elections over which saw the SABC's retrenchment plan put on ice due to political pressure, the SABC that is on the verge of financial collapse is once again looking at a dramatic cut of personnel costs as part of its latest turnaround, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday in a front-page story.

Although the SABC plans to decrease 30% of its personnel, it's actually less and the percentage trimmed in order to try and get the support of the department of communications and from treasury.

The SABC wants to get rid of 19 general manager positions, and wants to reduce management by 37%.

Other proposals in the turnaround plan include axing a quarter of all SABC News staff, getting rid of 233 staffers of the current 936 - something that will save R62.23 million on the SABC's wage bill.

Of the SABC's 300 independent news contractors, a third - 100 - will have to be cut. Another 101 will have to be let go from the sports division, with 86 let go from the media and technology unit. This will save the SABC a further R77.5 million per year.

The SABC wants to shutter 5 of its regional offices in Montague Gardens, Cape Town, Tshwane, Ulundi, Kimberley and George that will save R25.5 million a year.

Closing down regional offices was also part of the SABC's earlier turnaround plan in 2018.

According to The Sunday Times, the turnaround plan's implementation will start in August, when, during the first week of that month, the SABC's group executives will have to

The Sunday Times said the plan will take effect in August, when SABC group executives will present their plans on how they will reduce employee costs by 30% as part of massive job cuts to slash the SABC's bloated operational expenditure.

"Phase 1" of the SABC's turnaround strategy includes "a report to the shareholder on pending retrenchments". The "shareholder" is the South African government.

The SABC had no comment when asked for a response by The Sunday Times.

The SABC was asked for comment late on Saturday night by TVwithThinus and will be added here when or if received.


UPDATE Sunday 14 July 2019 - 09:30:

The SABC in a statement on Sunday morning said that it "refutes the claims made in the story".

"The SABC would like to put on record that it does not have any new plans to retrench staff, and the journalist only enquired about the 11 pre-conditions in relation to the SABC’s application for funding to National Treasury."

"There was no discussion around the issue of retrenchments.In addition, it must be reiterated that on 31 January 2019, the corporation announced that it had aborted the process of Section 189 of the LRA and would not renew the notice to invoke Section 189."

"This followed constructive and extensive engagements with various stakeholders, including the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications, organised labour and our own employees."

"Currently there is a skills audit underway, under the auspices of the department of communications and following this process, the results of the skills audit in relation to staff optimisation will be fully engaged with all stakeholders, including organised labour and employees of the SABC."

"The SABC requests that the process of the funding application be allowed to be finalized, in order not to create panic and uncertainty amongst SABC employees and the public at large."


UPDATE Sunday 14 July 2019 - 11:15:

Bemawu president Hannes du Buisson, told SABC News (DStv 404) on Sunday morning in an interview said that "we have been assured by SABC that there are no new plans to get rid of SABC staff".

"We did enquire this week to ask about that 11-point plan, we were told by the SABC executive that they are not currently in possession of that plan. It seems this morning that they now have that plan but it seems to be confidential."

"So we will engage the SABC one more time and ask them to please provide that so that we can make sure that that is not part of that particular plan."

Hannes du Buisson said that "if the SABC has any plans to close down any offices, we need to see those plans because it would have an impact on staff, and of course the communities who should and will complain".

"The SABC's core business is news and information - and that is in fact where they should get more people, not be cutting down on people there."

UPDATE Sunday 14 July 2019 - 13:00:

Aubrey Tshabalala of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) on eNCA (DStv 403) on Sunday morning said that "the personnel that is at the SABC is needed in our view. Why do you have a massive number of freelancers at the SABC that work excessive time? It shows that we need those people."

He said that the SABC "can be one of the great employers, instead of the retrenchers".

SABC FIRING LINE. 'SABC staff morale at rock-bottom' over plan to axe thousands as execs and union reps talk about 'cutting heads', 'butchering 2 200 people put out on the street', a 'public jamboree', 'milking a stone', 'dire situation', and the unsustainable 'thick layer at management level'.

"SABC staff morale is at rock-bottom" say workers over the SABC's brutal plan to axe up to over 2 000 workers, with executives and trade union representatives who on Tuesday described the looming retrenchment and situation as "cutting heads", "butchering 2 200 people put out on street", a "public jamboree", "milking a stone", a "dire situation", and saying that the "thick layer at management level" is unsustainable.

The beleaguered South African public broadcaster plans to fire up to 981 of its 3 376 full-time workers and do away with 1 200 of its 2 400 freelance workers by February 2019 as the SABC in a massive crisis once again hovers on the brink of financial collapse.

Tuesday started off with a conveyor belt of SABC'ers doing interviews on the public broadcaster's SABC News (DStv 404) channel.

It began with Leanne Manas who interviewed SABC chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini on Morning Live on SABC2 who said "Even if we get a bailout tomorrow, we still need to tackle the cost structure, and the cost structure of the SABC is driven by a number of things. It's labour costs - that R3.1 billion".

(More detail about that interview and possible implications for SA's TV production industry here)

Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, in an interview with SABC News on Tuesday afternoon revealed that freelance workers cost the SABC R25 million per year, SABC executive directors are paid R12 million per year, and that the SABC's group executives are paid R25 million per year.

It means that the SABC's small group of top executives are paid as much as the 2 400 freelance workers employed by the SABC.

"Then there's a very thick layer at management level. You have about 495 managers and the cost of that is about R620 million," said Madoda Mxakwe.

With 3 376 full-time workers, it means that the SABC has one manager for every 7 people.

"What is very clear is that the organisation cannot be sustainable with this current structure."

Madoda Mxakwe said "we have a bloated structure and it doesn't make sense".

"We are now in a dire financial situation. And as a broadcaster we are not able to meet our obligations financially on a month-to-month basis and essentially that affects our ability as a national broadcaster in terms of the public mandate that we have."

Madoda Mxakwe was asked what else the SABC is cutting besides staff. "It's a lot of things. We are looking at travelling, we're looking at accommodation. All of these." He said it's "operational" and that "there's a lot of things that we are doing there".

Hannes du Buisson, Bemawu president, representing the biggest trade union inside the SABC, said Bemawu is shocked and saddened by the decision. "To cut heads, to butcher about 2 200 people, put them out on the street - it's a quick solution but that is not necessarily the correct solution."

Hannes du Buisson told SABC News in an interview on Tuesday that "there seems to be something sinister about this whole process. It seems that the current SABC management are hell-bent to get rid of current SABC employees and then want to fill those positions with other people from outside the SABC".

Hannes du Buisson said SABC staffers are "gravely concerned" since South Africa's national election is coming up in 2019. "The SABC traditionally would hire more people for that particular period of the election".

"Going into election coverage with SABC staff morale at rock-bottom is not going to serve the public of South Africa."

Aubrey Tshabalala, secretary-general of the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said the trade union was similarly shocked by the SABC's decision to start with planned retrenchments "and what we term as a public jamboree".

"This management seems to have run out of ideas," he said. "When we look at these managers we are basically milking a stone here."

Aubrey Tshabalala said over-the-top (OTT) streaming services like Showmax, Netflix South Africa, Amazon Prime Video and others "broadcasting for free in this country they must pay a certain levy to balance the equation in terms of the funding model of the SABC".

"It must sink in in these executive members this is what you're driving: A public broadcaster. So if they are not fit to run a public broadcaster, they must tell us so that we can look into that area."

Jonathan Thekiso, the SABC's group HR boss, said  the SABC is also "looking to claw back in excess of R60 million" from former and existing executives and staffers at the broadcaster "which is as a result of irregular appointments, irregular salary increases and irregular promotions".

From the now-fired former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng the SABC wants "back an amount in excess of R32 million" said Jonathan Thekiso.

Asked about staff and executive who were fired, decided to leave and got purged under Hlaudi Motsoeneng's reign of terror at the SABC with the help of so-called "Hlaudi-enforcers", Jonathan Thekiso said "the SABC needs to ensure that it extends apologies to those respective employees who got purged, who were compromised as a result of activities of the previous administration".

"So the SABC is in the process of issuing such apologies to the respective people."

About the SABC's planned firing of staffers, Jonathan Thekiso said "the SABC's wage bill is sitting at almost half of revenue". He said "the SABC right now is in a very, very bad shape. We are in a dire financial situation right now and one of the major cost drivers is essentially our wage bill."

Asked about why the salaries of top SABC executives are not being revealed, Jonathan Thekiso said "we have been very clear that the issue of divulging the salaries of senior executives" can't happen because it gets published in the SABC's annual report and must first be audited.

SABC staffers strike enters Day 2 as workers demand a 10% increase, SABC programming is disrupted and broadcaster puts 'heightened security plans' in place.

Image: SABC

A nationwide strike by SABC staffers is continuing on Friday for a second day after SABC programming on the South African public broadcaster was disrupted on Thursday when disgruntled SABC staffers demanding a 10% salary increase, started to take part in the protected strike of trade unions Bemawu and the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

Striking SABC staffers want a 10% salary hike while the beleaguered and cash-strapped SABC that is struggling to pay its ballooning debt, previously offered a 0% but is now offering a 4.5% increase backdated to October 2017.

On Thursday SABC staffers took part in public protests at the SABC headquarters in Auckland Park, as well as SABC provincial offices in Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban, Port Elizabeth and elsewhere, and did the same on Friday.

On Friday workers at the South African parastatal signal distributor, Sentech, indicated that they are preparing to strike as well in solidarity with the SABC staffers.

Cosatu in a statement says the striking SABC workers have their support.

"The minister of communications and the SABC board need to intervene and make sure that the reasonable demands of the workers are met by the management."

"For years these workers have been the only shining light at SABC; they are the ones, who have kept the lights on when the politicians and their deployees were looting and collapsing the institution."

The strike comes just before the SABC is supposed to cover the ANC political party's 54th elective conference where it will be choosing its next president and the de facto president of South Africa.

CWU spokesperson Tshepo Matlou said SABC staffers are threatening to cut off the coverage of the ANC's elective conference.

"To not broadcast the ANC conference is not our decision. We don't want that to happen. But it just so happens that the workers are outside protesting and that's the SABC’s fault. The nation therefore will not be able to watch the conference".

Hannes Du Buisson, Bemawu president said the SABC "said they are in financial trouble which is not true because the SABC interim board is getting R3.9 million".

He said the R3.9 million payout to the SABC interim board was the biggest payout to a SABC board in the history of the broadcaster for the time served.

On Thursday SABC current affairs shows and news bulletins didn't take place as SABC workers started their stayaway. Several news bulletins on Thursday and Friday cut the number of stories dramatically and repeated old news stories.

"Programming on television has gone ahead as planned with no interruptions," said SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago in a statement.

"Out of the 19 SABC radio stations, only three were affected, namely Thobela FM, Munghana Lonene FM and Ikwekwezi FM."

"Their respective current affairs shows that did not go on air, as a result of presenters pulling out of the shows at the last minute".

The SABC said that the broadcaster "had received reports of intimidation of employees entering the work premises and blockage of entrance points by those who are participating in the strike".

"Management views this matter in a serious light and will be engaging with the SABC's Protection Services, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the joint planning committee to attend to this matter urgently, to ensure the safety of all employees who are not participating in the strike".

The SABC said it has "heightened security plans in place" within and around the premises of the SABC".

Trade union Bemawu reacts in shock after State Security Agency orders SABC staffer to undergo lie detector test: 'SABC employees did not apply for jobs as spies or government agents'.

The Broadcasting‚ Electronic‚ Media & Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) trade union says it is shocked after the State Security Agency (SSA) ordered a SABC staffer to undergo a polygraph test "to finalise your vetting process".

In a strongly-worded rebuke, Bemawu says "our members do not consent to polygraph testing" and that "SABC employees did not apply for jobs as spies or government agents".

It comes after a State Security Agency staffer ordered a SABC staffer working in the South African public broadcaster's procurement division to choose a date for a lie detector test.

Bemawu in a letter told the SABC to refuse the SSA to conduct lie detector tests.

"SABC employees did not apply for jobs as spies or government agents. They are employees at the SABC‚ dealing with procurement and broadcasting‚" says Hannes du Buisson, Bemawu spokesperson.

"Why is it necessary for the State Security Agency to conduct polygraph testing on SABC employees? Our members do not consent to polygraph testing".

In a letter a SSA staffer orders the SABC worker to choose a lie detector test date.

"I want to sensitize you regarding your outstanding polygraph examination. I will be responsible for your polygraph examination".

"We need to make arrangements for your polygraph examinations to be conducted to finalise your vetting process".

The SABC staffer is told topick a date: "As you can see I have 11 spaces and I have 11 members".

SABC strike action to hit the public broadcaster from Thursday; unions give SABC two blackout options: do you want black or colour bars when programmes or signals go off air?

Unprecedented SABC strike action will hit the struggling South African public broadcaster from Thursday 2 November at 06:00 in the morning, after trade unions Bemawu and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) made good on its threat of last week to strike and on Monday served the SABC with a notice to embark on a protected strike.

SABC staffers getting ready to strike from Thursday are giving the SABC two options: Do you want black or colour bars used when SABC signals or programmes go off air due to work stoppage?

The rolling strike action, if not averted by the new permanent SABC board, will inflict more damage on the severely battered SABC.

The SABC that is once again hovering on the brink of financial collapse without a cash-injection of R3 billion from the government, is now facing looming strike action.

SABC staffers demand a 10% pay hike - far higher than South Africa's 6% inflation. 

SABC staffers also demand a bonus 13th salary check in December despite the non-performing SABC posting a loss of R977 million. Bonuses are usually paid to reward good performance.

The SABC "offers" a 0% salary increase.

Hannes du Buisson, Bemawu president told Radio 702 that the freelancers which the SABC usually would rely on to do extra work in the case of a strike "has been ill-treated by the SABC to the extent that a number of them has taken the SABC to the CCMA."


"The SABC would most probably be able to most probably broadcast all of the repeats from a hundreds years ago that the public has seen a thousands times. Whether the SABC would be able to deliver news and current affairs is a different thing".

The SABC has been plagued by bad management, bad managerial decisions and upheaval at top executive and board level, with the government's Special Investigative Unit (SIU) currently conducting a wide-ranging probe into corruption, mismanagement and several dodgy contracts at the public broadcaster stretching back several years. 

The trade unions on Friday agreed to let the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) try and mediate the wage dispute, but that seems to have failed.

"This is a serious concern for us," SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told SABC News, the only person who was interviewed on-air on SABC News (DStv 404) on Monday night, with no representatives from Bemawu or CWU who appeared.

"It was a surprise this afternoon when all of a sudden - before we could even go back and give a feedback - we already then get a notice for a strike,"said Kaizer Kganyago. 

"We said to them: You know our financial situation as an organisation. Can we then discuss these issues?"

Kaizer Kganyago said the SABC "is surprised" at the planned strike action.

Kaizer Kganyago said the SABC is "not going to negotiate in newspapers. We are not going to negotiate on television. We are going to negotiate in a negotiating room."

If strike action hits, Kaizer Kganyago says the SABC "will make everything in our power to make sure that the programmes appear on radio and on television as planned".

Kaizer Kganyago said the SABC "still owes a lot of people a lot of money".

SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini on a statement issued by the SABC said the SABC had "noted with concern a notice to go on strike by employees affiliated to Bemawu and CWU over salary increases".

"The major priorities which emerged were the need to stabilise the financial situation and staff morale. Despite significant progress by the interim board in cutting the losses it inherited, the SABC still carries more debts than it can pay," said Bongumusa Makhathini.

"The SABC board is committed to working closely with the unions and all employees to ensure that the SABC is brought back to its former strength."

"We will uphold proper governance procedures in our interactions with the unions. It is common knowledge that the SABC is going through a financial crisis and that we have applied for a government guarantee that will, if approved, come with conditions, which we will have to adhere to."

"Amongst the things the board is looking at, are other concrete steps towards the financial stability of the corporation. The public should rest assured that programming, both on radio and TV, would be transmitted as planned," said Bongumusa Makhathini.

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 13 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:


■ Mexican soap actor slaps TV reporter through the face in a red carpet interview.
Aggressive telenovela star Eduardo Yanez suddenly turns physically violent and assaults Paco Fuentes.

■ Kate Beckinsale says sexual predator and rapist Harvey Weinstein couldn't remember if he had sexually assaulted her or not".

■ Dawson's Creek star James van der Beek has had his "ass grabbed by powerful, older men".
"I’ve had them corner me in inappropriate sexual conversations when I was much younger".

■ More groping allegations emerge against Ben Affleck.

■ "Horrific" Jason Momoa joked that he gets to rape beautiful women in Game of Thrones.


■ "You will love my dick," Roy Price, Amazon's programming boss said to TV producer.
Isa Hackett, a producer on Amazon Prime Video's Man in the High Castle is making her claim of sexual harassment public. Amazon is utterly silent on what it did regarding Roy Price and the sex harassment claim that she reported to Amazon.

■ Rose McGowan: Harvey Weinstein raped me. Again Amazon is silent.
- Accuses Jeff Bezos and Amazon of a massive cover-up who cancelled her TV series.
- Amazon suspends Roy Price who is abruptly put on "leave of absence".

■ Has anyone in Hollywood fallen faster than Harvey Weinstein?
Star doing red carpet premieres suddenly asked hard questions about sexual harassment instead of the usual softball questions.

■ Harvey Weinstein checks into a luxury 5-star resort after jetting out of LA in a private jet.
He lied about doing rehab in Europe and wants to go somewhere where he can use his cell phone like the Arizona resort with a spa and golf course.
- New TIME does "producer, predator, pariah" Harvey Weinstein cover.
- The Weinstein Company (TWC) near the brink as talent agencies abruptly cut off their talent supply.


■ Remember when Nikki Finke reported Harvey Weinstein's harassment of a man on his deathbed? Referenced his "disgusting behaviour".
- Remember when Nikki Finke told of how Harvey Weinstein ordered her into a "windowless room" and screamed at her for 90 minutes?

■ Peaky Blinders seen on BBC First (DStv 119) is dumping The Weinstein Company (TWC) from the credits.



■ Valor, Seal Team, Shooter: The tropes and "triggers" of the new bunch of American military TV dramas.
- And Riverdale is subverting every "mean girl" TV trope with the Cheryl Blossom character.


■ Australian free-to-air viewers lose The Simpsons and Modern Family.
The struggling Ten is done and out of a deal with 21th Century Fox studios.

■ The SABC is now looking for tenders to bid to become the SABC's service provider for the digital file delivery of content.

■ How those fake TV shows seen inside shows are made.
From This is Us and Insecure - the how, and why, and what of these meta-shows inside series.


■ SABC staff morale is at an all-time low.
Move the slider and listen from minute 13:28 to 17:30.
Bemawu president Hannes du Buisson tells 702: "SABC staff are really, really, very, very low on morale at this point in time" and that SABC staffers "are fed up".


■ Netflix responds to conspiracy theories over its $500 million investment in Canada.
- Meanwhile Netflix's content investment is increasingly international in nature - the international growth is it's secret weapon.


■ After Star Trek: Discovery said there won't be any canon changes it's filled with canon changes; producer says canon changes will be explained.
- As criticism over Star Trek: Discovery grow; producers plead with viewers to be patient.
- Star Trek: Discovery suffers from inconsistent storytelling.
- "Mess": Star Trek: Discovery fails to make its case.
- Star Trek: Discovery takes too long to get where it's going.
- Filming wrapped on first season on Wednesday; second season of Star Trek: Discovery looks likely.


■ The battle to keep arts on mainstream BBC television is shocking, says presenter.
Arts programmes on BBC condemned to a "vicious, Orwellian circle" of little watched platforms.


■ MUST READ: This week's Popbitch tells its like it is - scroll and read from "Blinded by the Lights":
Here's some excerpts:
"Does the principled entertainment journalist ignore these things and just get on with the job at hand?"

"It is these same reporters who could (and should) be breaking these types of stories. The journalists who are rubbing shoulders with the major players, the ones for whom Hollywood scandals are their bread and butter, should be at the forefront of this stuff. And yet they aren’t."

"The implied arrangement is that if you turn up to the Oscars as a guest of Miramax, or you get paid to host a junket at Cannes, or you get an exclusive sit-down interview with the star of a Weinstein vehicle, then you go easy. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you."

"Yet too many newspapers, magazines and journalists are unwilling (or unable) to forfeit the access. They can’t turn down the interviews, the parties, or the chance to get their upcoming book optioned by someone like Weinstein."

"If you’re a reporter attending Hollywood parties, if you’re spending your summer in Cannes, if you’re overseeing front page splashes and conducting double page interviews on movie stars and yet you have somehow managed to have never heard a single Weinstein rumour, pray tell: what the f- have you been doing?"

SABC's botched 2016 Paralympics broadcast worsened by 'badly negotiated' contract with SuperSport that saw SuperSport ordering the SABC to cut back to limited coverage.

Following the SABC's bad 2016 Olympic Games coverage, its botched 2016 Paralympics coverage largely imploded due to a bad SuperSport contract that allegedly saw SuperSport order the South African public broadcaster to scale back its coverage to the marginal content seen on the SABC.

SuperSport and the SABC didn't respond to media enquiries about the SABC's Paralympics coverage and the deal the broadcaster made with SuperSport.

City Press on Sunday reported that SuperSport ordered the SABC to stick to the contract for limited 2016 Paralympics visuals use after SABC producers who were not clearly briefed on what the signed contract allowed, started broadcasting more Paralympics content that what was allowed.

The SABC wasn't allowed to broadcast the opening (or closing) events of the 2016 Paralympics from Rio de Janeiro live since it was prohibited by the contract signed with SuperSport, but SABC staff who were not properly informed about the stipulations of the contract showed too much live coverage.

Hannes du Buisson, president of the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union (Bemawu) trade union, is quoted in City Press, saying the SABC's deal with SuperSport was "so badly negotiated" that it only allowed the SABC "quick in-and-out live broadcasts when South Africans were competing".

SABC staffers who were not told by SABC executives what's allowed and what's not under the strict SuperSport Paralympics contract, rushed to "began broadcasting everything, using four live feeds" until SuperSport sent the SABC a letter ordering the public broadcaster to immediately stop and to stick to the contract.

"The SABC crew was sent back home," said Hannes du Buisson.

Meanwhile ratings for the 2016 Olympic Games on SuperSport and the SABC during August were a flop during August with very few Olympic broadcast events that were showed on either the public broadcaster on on SuperSport's channels across MultiChoice's DStv platform that managed to lure anything close to a sizeable TV audience.

SABC staff upset over 'threat' that they must wear Boks T-shirts every Friday; 'gifts should not come with demands like this,' says SABC workers.

SABC staff are unhappy over a "threat" from the public broadcaster that they must wear the Rugby World Cup 2015 T-shirts they were given on Fridays and that not wearing it "will be viewed in a serious light".

Hannes du Buisson, president of the trade union Bemawu on Tuesday wrote to Mandiwe Nkosi at the SABC, asking that "this threat be withdrawn and the same be communicated to SABC employees".

The SABC, in an internal communiqué this past Friday, told SABC staff that they're reminded "to wear your Bokke T-shirt every Fridayfor the duration of the Rugby World Cup 2015" and that "if you have been allocated the T-shirt and do not wear it, this will be viewed in a serious light".

In his letter Hannes du Buisson says that the SABC "says its values are conversations and partnerships, restoration of human dignity and building a common future. Apparently not the human dignity of its employees".

The letter includes feedback from several upset SABC workers about the Boks T-shirts.

"We have just received this email.  There were no stipulations with regard to receiving T-shirts.  I didn't even sign for it.  I found my T-shirt on my work seat.  It is not the correct size for me as was the case with several people. The only sizes available were Small or XXL. I will not wear one which is too tight (I was given a small) or XXL which is way too large for me."

"Whatever it means 'in a serious light' is not right. Should we really be pressurised into wearing a 'uniform' just because the SABC decided to give us a gift? 'Gifts' should not come with demands like this.'

"I was allocated with a 3XL Springbok shirt that does not fit me. I tried to find out if I could get a 4XL and I was told that there are only small sizes. But that is not the point, the point is that they are threatening us if we don't wear a rugby shirt, does it make any sense?? Once again I have no problems wearing a Bok shirt, but without threats."

"I take exception to the implied threat in this communiqué," said another SABC worker. "I have a constitutional right to wear what I like, when I like."

"The threat of 'will be viewed in a serious light' implies disciplinary action will be taken against an employee or an employee will be subjected to an occupational detriment should they not wear it. This is to say the least unconstitutional and very bad management style," says Hannes du Buisson.

"Instead of motivating employees and encouraging them to support the national team, they are threatened. This clearly reflects the current style of management at the SABC where employees are threatened and intimidated, and the SABC acts as if employees have no rights," says Hannes du Buisson.

He said SABC staff "should  be allowed to wear what they want to work, not be threatened. Our complaint is not about the Bokke shirts, but the threats to wear it."

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to a media enquiry on Wednesday asking about the SABC's Bokke T-shirts given to staff, workers' reaction and the Bemawu letter.

BREAKING. SABC set to suspend 4 assignment editors after they spoke to the media about their dispute with the SABC over unfair labour practices.

The SABC is set to suspend Faith Daniels, Crosby Amos, Ronel van Zyl and Clive Govender after the four allegedly spoke to the media about their dispute with the SABC over unfair labour practices.

City Press reports that the four were given letters if intention to suspend them, signed by the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews.

Hannes du Buisson, president of the trade union Bemawu expressed his "utmost shock and disbelief" at the SABC's action.

"Our members cannot be suspended for something they have not done. It is furthermore not necessary to suspend an employee to investigate the matter," according to Hannes du Buisson, who says the intended suspensions of the SABC News staff instills fear.

"We submit that the suspension process is used in a manner intended to instil fear and silence and should the suspensions proceed, we will exercise our rights on behalf of our members," Hannes du Buisson wrote.

"This attitude of the SABC is a clear demonstration of management by fear and a total disregard of the constitutional right of freedom of speech. We do not believe this is the way to deal with labour disputes and loyal SABC employees who pursue their rights in respect of a workplace issue."

According to recent reports, Clive Govender and Faith Daniels were "under immense pressure" at the SABC and apparently "unhappy about the level of incompetency in some of the regions" at the SABC's SABC News division, while work was piling up.

According to insiders quoted by City Press, they are getting paid less than other SABC News colleagues working in the same positions around the country and have to perform as central desk editors.

Their attempts to negotiate a settlement with the SABC was rejected and now a case is set to be hear in the first week of October at the CCMA.

The additional burned on the workers came about when they were allegedly forced to take on the increased workload when the SABC launched its new second version of SABC News (DStv 404) as a 24-hour TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform, replacing the closed down SABC News International which failed.

The SABC News employees asked for better pay and back pay for the more work and duties they've been performing - for some going as far back as 2011.

According to SABC spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, "the corporation has, as per norm, issued letters for the employees to explain themselves about the utterances made in the media and therefore we cannot comment further or make any conclusions on this issue until they have responded to the SABC directly, not through the media."

"Anyone who is not designated to speak to the media and does so will have contravened their employment contract," said Kaizer Kganyago.

SABC admits clandestine 'security' operations going on as 'standard procedure' inside SABC offices; fearful SABC staff scared their offices are bugged.

The SABC now admits that a "security audit" has taken place inside the SABC's offices, done by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) inside the public broadcaster's Durban offices to "ensure that there's no threat to the efficient operations of the broadcaster".

The nationa security secret invasion and the secret investigation conducted inside the SABC, with SABC permission, and not made known beforehand or during the audit by the SABC to SABC staff, is allegedly to "ensure the security of various state-owned entities in compliance with the National Key Point requirements," says SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kgangayo.

Interestingly, the SABC used to be a public broadcaster according to the Broadcasting Act, belonging not to the state but to the people of South Africa as defined under the South African Constitution.

The South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) calles the State Security Agency's (SSA) spying inside the SABC "outrageous".

"We at Sanef believe an investigation should be conducted by higher authorities," says Sanef deputy media freedom chairperson, Raymond Louw.  "What the SSA had done was a violation of constitutional freedom and outreageous".

The State Security Agency (SSA) says SABC staff should be asking the SABC CEO why the investigation is happening since the SSA worked inside the SABC on request of the SABC.

"The SABC needs to explain to its staff what is happening," says Brian Dube, State Security Agency spokesperson. "The allegations emanated from the staff".

Brian Dube says "the SABC CEO must deal with the questions" and that "government departments and public entities invited the agency to assist with various activities".

Trade union Bemawu's president Hannes du Buisson blasted the SABC earlier this week, writing to new SABC CEO Frans Matlala demanding explanations for the secret spying going on inside the SABC, and saying that SABC workers were ordered to keep quiet, that the investigation and presence of spies damage and comprises what's left of the SABC's integrity, and asking why the secret operation has not been communicated by the SABC to the SABC's own staff.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago called the secret investigation "standard procedure" done to "constantly identify threats towards acts of terror, espionage and other related risks".

Kaizer Kganyago said "The SABC would like to put it on record that this process is not in any way a move to undermind the corporation's business units, instill fear among staff members or invade their privacy."

Sadly, shockingly, this is exactly what has happened through this process: SABC workers are scared, suspicious, have been deliberately kept in the dark, are wondering what's going on, have not been communicated with, don't feel valued and trusted and are fearing what's going on.

SABC staff and managers are extremely concerned that their offices are bugged.

Bemawu president Hannes du Buisson asked SABC CEO Frans Matlala for "urgent intervention" and an explanation as well as that "this secret operation be stopped".

"We also want an explanation as to why the National Intelligence Agency finds it necessary to put employees out of their offices, invading their privacy and work space, where they spent the majority of the day and a substantial time of their lives."

SABC workers are fearful and scared and worried about the lack of transparency from the public broadcaster.

"Employees are extremely uncomfortable with what is happening, as they are not sure whether secret surveillance equipment is installed in their offices, and if so, why this is happening and necessary," says Hannes du Buisson.

"We do not see any reason for the NIA to lock employees out of their offices, remaining inside alone. The SABC is a workplace, not a law enforcement agency or some secret organisation where NIA agents have free reign."

Political party COPE says in a statement "under Hlaudi Motsoeneng [SABC COO] and Faith Muthambi [South Africa's minister of communications] the public broadcaster will soon become the ABCBC".

"In a vibrant democracy, all self-respecting democrats will take offence if the NIA were to walk into provincial offices of the public broadcaster, which belongs to all of us, and throw out employees from their offices to make secret searches. Furthermore, they would be revolted if the staff were threatened with dismissal if they dared disclose what was happening," says Dennis Bloem, COPE spokesperson.

"This is how, by little steps, tyranny overthrows democracy."

"The NIA's business is to protect the state, not to harass journalists and media workers. They are not the enemy of the state. Every South African should recognise that this is an insidious operation by the NIA."

"COPE wants an explanation from Faith Muthambi. Was this what 'Baba' had wanted her to do and is that why she gladly obliged? Is this what we can expect under her as minister of communication? Or was this instigated by Hlaudi Motsoeneng with her blessing?"

"COPE demands that Faith Muthambi explains to the nation what the NIA was doing at the SABC offices in Durban and why the staff there was treated so contemptuously and aggressively."

National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is spying on SABC staff, says SABC trade union Bemawu, demands that SABC CEO Frans Matlala explains why.

South Africa's National Intelligence Angecy (NIA) is spying on SABC staff and the public broadcaster says the SABC trade union Bemawu who wrote to the SABC's new CEO Frans Matlala asking what is going on.

Hannes du Buisson, president of the Broadcast Electronic Media and Allied Workers' Union (Bemawu) wrote to Frans Matlala on Tuesday saying the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has "instructed SABC employees to leave their offices while operators spent between 2 and 3 hours per office for a purpose unknown to the employees".

This allegedly happened and is happening at the SABC's offices in Durban.

"We have furthermore been informed that employees were instructed to keep quiet about this and were threatened with action should they tell anybody."

Fearful SABC staff are "not sure whether secret surveillance equipment was installed in their offices, and if so, why is this happening and necessary?"

"We do not see any reason for the National Intelligence Agency to lock employees out of their offices, remaining inside alone."

"The SABC is a workplace, not a law enforcement agency or some secret organisation where NIA agents have free rein," Hannes dui Buisson wrote to Frans Matlala.

"For a state agency to act in this manner at a public broadcaster is of serious concern… such action seriously compromises what is left of the SABC's integrity."

Bemawu demands that Frans Matlala as the SABC CEO explains what is going on at the public broadcaster.

"We request your urgent intervention, assistance and explanation. We request that this secret operation be stopped and the purpose and intent be communicated to staff."

"We also want an explanation as to why the National Intelligence Agency finds it necessary to put employees out of their offices, invading their privacy and work space, where they spent the majority of the day and a substantial time of their lives."

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela apologises for erroneously mentioning trade union president Hannes du Buisson in her SABC report.

The Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is apologising for erroneously naming the trade union boss Hannes du Buisson, in her report released yesterday regarding maladministration at the SABC.

In the Public Protector's report she found that the SABC's famously matricless acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng "unilaterally increased the salaries of certain SABC staffers which added to the ballooning R29 million SABC wage bill.

The Public Protector's report released on Monday morning states that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng unilaterally increased the salaries of Sully Motsweni, Thobekile Khumalo, Hannes du Buisson and certain freelancers without following Part IV of the SABC Personnel Regulations".

Thuli Madonsela today apologised for the inclusion of Hannes du Buisson's name, and said that his name should not have been included in the final report.

The Public Protector said it "apologises for the error and possible unfounded inferences that may imply that there was any wrongdoing found against Hannes du Buisson's person."

"The mention of Hannes du Buisson in the unedited executive summary distributed on Monday was in relation to an allegation made by the complainants. However, the allegation could not be substantiated and no finding was made".

Hannes du Buisson is the president of the Broadcasting, Electronic Media, and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu).