SABC News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller leaving the SABC after 15 years; moving to America; will say goodbye to viewers on Friday.

The well-liked SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller is leaving the South African public broadcaster and will do her final sign-off and say goodbye to viewers on-air in her final broadcast on Friday evening on SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC3's TV news bulletin at 18:30.

There's been no statement from the SABC about her impending departure and replacement.

Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller, who recently returned from maternity leave after the birth of her first child to her chair behind the TV news anchor desk in Studio 9, is relocating to America with her husband.

She will likely be replaced by Francis Herd on the SABC's flagship nightly TV news bulletin who also sat in beside co-anchor Peter Ndoro during her colleague's maternity leave.

Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller, her American businessman husband Geoffrey Miller and the couple's 5-month old daughter daughter Ella Amalia Anne will move to Chicago in March but she will be doing her last TV news bulletin on Friday after 15 years as a journalist working for the SABC's radio and TV divisions.

As a broadcaster Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller, who've only ever worked at the SABC, had her wedding in late 2014 broadcast on SABC3's Top Billing.

As a professional news reader, she's endeared herself to viewers and listeners over the past decade and is beloved by SABC colleagues.

She kept her cool and remained professional - especially over the past three years - bringing viewers the news on television in the public broadcaster's flagship English TV news bulletin as it kept changing timeslots, suffered rating declines and while the SABC got battered and suffered a public backlash over Hlaudi Motsoeneng's SABC TV news censorship decisions.

"I'm a bit anxious, but I'm also looking forward to the move," Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller told the Lotus FM radio station.

She described her career at the SABC "as a fun one" ever since she started off as an intern in 2002 reading the news on Lotus FM and reporting, and then moving to Johannesburg.

Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller says she will "miss the warmth and the friendliness" of South Africans.

Due to the sudden move necessitated by her husband's changing job requirements, she hasn't been able yet to find a new job in America. "I have been thinking about it, but I haven't really made any plans. I'm going to give myself a few months to adjust."

"Chicago is extremely cold. It's cold for eight months of the year, and I've also just had a baby. So a lot of adjustment needs to take place and then I'll make the call after that".

SABC's flagship SABC News bulletin on SABC3 plunges; sheds more than 222 417 in just one month.

Viewership of the struggling SABC's flagship TV news bulletin has plunged, with the public broadcaster's main English TV news bulletin on SABC3 at 18:30 that has shed more than 222 417 viewers in just one month according to the latest South African TV ratings.

Meanwhile the SABC's Xhosa, Zulu and Sesotho TV news bulletins in November also shed viewers with SABC2's Sesotho news no longer one of that channel's top 20 most watched shows.

The embattled SABC is being battered by a barrage of shocking daily revelations about alleged corruption fraud, mismanagement, censorship and undue political editorial interference that's been rocking the loss-making corporation, while scandals have engulfed its controversial bosses James Aguma and Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Meanwhile an ongoing SABC inquiry by an ad hoc parliamentary committee into the gutted and now non-existent SABC board, heard shocking testimony the past few weeks about the blatant flouting of corporate governance at the SABC where scandal after scandal keeps dominating the headlines and damages what's left of the SABC's brand reputation.

The SABC's flagship TV news bulletin saw more than 222 417 viewers flee in just one month as it audience rating (AR) dropped from 922 152 in October to 699 735 in November.

It is the second lowest number of viewers for the SABC3's prime time TV news bulletin since June this year when Hlaudi Motsoeneng abruptly ordered his disastrous 80% local content decree for the SABC's only commercial TV channel.

Since then SABC3's ratings collapsed as viewers fled and rejected all of the badly produced local shows suddenly rushed to the channel's schedule the past few months - causing a knock-on effect on its news ratings.

Last week SABC journalist Lukhanyo Calata testified before the SABC inquiry in parliament that decisions like this damages the SABC news division's credibility and reputation.

Lukhanyo Calata was one of the so-called "#SABC8" journalists who were fired for protesting the SABC's abrupt censorship decision earlier this year to no longer show visuals of the destruction of property during public protests. 

The SABC lost a labour court case and was ordered to reinstate seven of the journalists.

Xhosa, Zulu and Sesotho TV news viewership also down

The SABC's Xhosa and Zulu news bulletins, both on SABC1 also showed a drop - although percentage wise more marginal - from October to November.

The Xhosa news fell from 4.15 million viewers (12.2 AR / 35.7 share), losing more than 348 137 viewers to 3.8 million viewers (11 AR / 33.8 share) in November.

The Zulu news shed more than 321 752 viewers, and dropped from 4.07 million viewers (11.9 AR / 35.8 share) to 3.75 million (11 AR / 33.8 share) viewers in November.

On SABC2, viewership of the Afrikaans TV news bulletin managed to remained steady at 1.48 million viewers (4.3 AR / 15.3 share) despite debilitating timeslot changes for it and Afrikaans soap 7de Laan of which the viewership fell another bit in November to 1.81 million viewers - it's second lowest viewership number this year.

The SABC's debilitating timeslot change of the Sesotho news on SABC2 to 18:30 in July has also hammered this TV news bulletin's ratings.

Going from 1.36 million viewers in July and plunging to 1.15 million viewers in October, SABC2's Sesotho TV news bulletin in November totally dropped out of SABC2's top 20 most watched list, which means it got somewhere less that 1.13 million viewers. 

The SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller pregnant; expecting her first child, a girl, and 'off for a new adventure' as she goes on maternity leave.

The SABC's SABC TV News anchor Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller is pregnant and expecting her first child, a girl, with husband Geoffrey Miller.

Monday night was the last time SABC viewers saw Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller who left for maternity leave.

Co-anchor Peter Ndoro said viewers have been wondering for months why it seemed as if Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller was putting on weight behind the anchor desk. 

"I will miss being here, but I'm off for a new adventure," she said.

"It's a little girl!" said Peter Ndoro, as Vabakshnee Chetty-Miller took out a pair of small pink shoes at the end of Monday evening's bulletin, after which he reached over and hugged her on-screen.

The professional and beloved news reader on SABC3 and SABC News (DStv 404) got married in November 2014 in Stellenbosch.