After yet another SABC fire broke out staffers of the South African public broadcaster in Mbombela are left without a building to work in.

After yet another SABC fire broke out staffers of the embattled South African public broadcaster in Mbombela, Mpumalanga have been left without a building to work in while the SABC radio station Ligwalagwala FM didn't go off the air but has been affected.

SABC interim board members, current board members and top executives have warned parliament and the minister of communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, for over a year that the lives of SABC personnel are being endangered since the struggling broadcasters hovering on the verge of financial collapse, can't afford to do and stopped doing routine maintenance at its buildings.

The latest fire impacting on the SABC's operation happened at the City Centre offices of the SABC in Mbombela where SABC staffers were evacuated and told to work from home and elsewhere using their laptops and not to return to the building.

The cause of the fire isn't yet known. Nobody was injured.

Ligwalagwala FM has remained on-air with the SABC implementing unspecified "temporary measures".

Vuyo Mthembu, SABC spokesperson, says  "The SABC can confirm that a fire broke out at its leased Mpumalanga offices and the fire emergency services from the Mbombela City Council were able to contain the fire".

"The health and safety of our employees is always a key priority and the SABC is happy to report that employees were evacuated in time and no injuries were reported. Investigations are being carried out to confirm the cause of the fire."

"Employees will re-occupy the offices once the offices have been declared safe. Our radio station Ligwalagwala FM is still able to broadcast as temporary measures have been put in place, however, operations have been affected pending the completion of the investigations".

In June 2019 a fire in the cafeteria in the SABC's Radio Park building prompted the evacuation of staff with 15 people who were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The same Radio Park building was evacuated in May 2019 during a diesel spill that saw thousands of litres of diesel flood the building and down the elevator shaft when a power outage caused the building to switch to its back-up power generator located on the 15th floor. "A failure of the equipment led to the diesel tank overflowing," the SABC said.

SABC executives, as well as former and current SABC board members have been warning for months that the SABC has stopped and failed to do maintenance due to the broadcaster's precarious financial position with the SABC hovering on the edge of collapse and warning that the SABC's "Day Zero" and a black-on-air situation could happen any day.

In November 2018, the former SABC board member Mathatha Tsedu told and warned parliament and the minister of communications that the SABC is turning into a potential death trap.

"We haven't maintained our buildings for a very long time. Last week a huge chunk fell from the reception of the Radio Park building. The people responsible for the maintenance of our buildings have been warning that there are cracks there - something is going to happen. But we don't have the money. We're only dealing with what is broadcast critical," he said.

"If there is a crack up there and it doesn't stop us from going on air, we will not fix it until that rock falls down. And one day, it is going to fall on someone."

South African public broadcaster goes to labour court to get at least 28 irregular SABC appointments from the destructive Hlaudi Motsoeneng era reversed.

The South African public broadcaster has announced that it will go to the country's labour court to have the appointments of at least 28 SABC staffers be reversed that were made during the destructive era of the former top exec and chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng who himself has also been fired.

The appointments of the 28 SABC employees, with more that could follow, were made by and during the so-called "reign of terror" of the caustic and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The SABC wants these staffers' appointments to be declared invalid, unlawful and to be set aside.

"The SABC can confirm that it is in the process of serving the respective respondents with the application. Once this is complete, the organisation will lodge its application with the labour court, and the respondents will be afforded an opportunity to oppose the application by filing their answering affidavit," says Vuyo Mthembu, SABC spokesperson.

The SABC in a statement said that "These are appointments that are deemed to have been effected without following relevant SABC policies".

"The application follows recommendations of the reports of the Public Protector and the Parliamentary ad hoc committee, as well as the SABC’s internal investigation on irregular appointments."

"So far, 28 cases have been identified for the first phase of the process. The ongoing investigation might reveal further irregular appointments."

"All affected parties will be afforded an opportunity to oppose the application. The SABC remains committed to enforcing sound governance measures aimed at ensuring full compliance with all its policies."

Censorship of information returns to SABC as South African public broadcaster's radio boss orders stations not to mention PSL match scores or do any commentary or coverage because the SABC doesn't have match broadcast rights.

Censorship of general information has returned to the South African public broadcaster with the SABC's radio boss Leuba Ramakgolo who on Thursday ordered the broadcaster's radio stations not to do any coverage or commentary of the PSL's Absa Premiership soccer matches or to even mention match scores to listeners.

Weirdly the SABC still carries both rugby and cricket content and match scores although the SABC also don't have broadcasting rights to those tournaments and competitions either.

The SABC failed to reach a deal with SuperSport for the sub-licensing of broadcasting rights to some matches of the Premier Soccer League's (PSL) new Absa Premiership season leading to yet another soccer blackout on the South African public broadcaster.

The beleaguered SABC demanded a 96% discount on the price to acquire sub-licensing rights from MultiChoice and SuperSport that is showing PSL matches on the DStv satellite pay-TV service.

The ongoing, massive problem with sports rights remains unsolved by the South African government and the departments of sports and communications, who constantly - after a blackout crisis at the SABC - respond with meetings that lead to nothing.

South Africa's minister of sports, arts and culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and South Africa's minister of communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, failed in addressing and fixing the macro-structural problem of the SABC being unable to afford and pay for PSL broadcast licensing rights.

Nathi Mthethwa said that "This situation is unfortunate and undesirable and myself and my cabinet colleague, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams are in constant engagement together with all other relevant stakeholders to procure a long-lasting solution and for things to return to normality".

On Sunday The Sunday Times reported that the SABC's radio boss ordered a radio blackout about the PSL on Thursday with SABC radio stations that have been ordered not to give any exposure to the PSL through commentary or on-air mentions, with even match scores that must not be mentioned although it's news and of public interest.

The email that Leuba Ramakgolo sent to SABC radio stations notes that "We have been receiving inquiries from stations regarding what limitations are when it comes to PSL-related content. Some of the stations have indicated that they have been approached by individual teams seeking to enter into partnership and possible trade exchanges with them".

"For example, a team in Limpopo approached one of the stations seeking promotion of their game and their trip to Durban".

"Please make sure that the programme managers are informed that we cannot promote any PSL games nor conduct interviews with the teams, the players and any roleplayers in the PSL business until an agreement is in place between the SABC and the PSL."

"Such agreement will clearly stipulate the terms and conditions under which execution will take place. This is to avoid any possible litigation that may emanate from our on-air conduct."

SABC spokesperson Vuyo Mthembu said "The SABC has taken a decision that in light of no agreement being in place between the SABC and the PSL, the SABC is not in a position to cover games and conduct such interviews as they would have formed part of the agreement of how the SABC covers PSL-related activities".

After 50th Two Oceans Marathon is a SABC no-show, concerns growing that 94th Comrades Marathon will be the next TV running blackout, as broadcast failure highlights one of the flaws in regulator's misguided proposed plan on sports rights regulation.

After the SABC failed to broadcast the 50th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon in South Africa on Saturday, concerns are growing that South Africa's 94th Comrades Marathon on 9 June is going to be the next victim of the financially decimated public broadcaster.

Meanwhile the massive no-show failure highlights one of the fatal flaws inherent in the South African broadcasting regulator's plan to change sports rights regulations in the country.

Sunday newspapers like The Sunday Times and City Press are today reporting what TVwithThinus reported on Friday, that the Comrades Marathon - now about 50 days away - is now next at risk of not being broadcast on South Africa television.

The behind-the-scenes play-by-play is complex but simplistically put the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon, falling under the banner of Athletics South Africa (ASA) has to be shown on the public broadcaster, or in other words, the SABC has to be approached first.

Then what happened is that no agreement could be reached with the SABC that said there was "no agreement between us and ASA to broadcast the race" after negotiations between the broadcaster and the ASA failed.

Because there is no contract between Athletics South Africa and the SABC because the SABC doesn't have the money, ASA didn't have enough time to approach other broadcasters like e.tv or possibly MultiChoice or SuperSport.

Indirectly it's a great example of the massive problem, dangers and fatal flaws all lurking in the ill-informed and misguided plan and draft regulations of  South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), over sports rights.

Icasa wants to set up rules controlling what sports broadcasting rights can be picked up and signed by pay-TV outlets like SuperSport, and what must be on the public broadcaster, e.tv and elsewhere,or be made available to others besides SuperSport.

The massive problem in the proposed legislation is exactly what the 50th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon no-show beautifully illustrates: When a certain broadcaster, channel or pay-TV option is deliberately blocked or prevented from airing and covering a certain sports event, it doesn't mean that the one or others mandated to carry and cover it will - or will be able to, do so.

While the SABC had the (first) option and chance to broadcast and cover the 50th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon on Saturday it didn't and couldn't or wouldn't - either because it didn't want to pay for it or couldn't afford it.

Meanwhile SuperSport wasn't "allowed" to take pick it up from the start or also negotiate for it from the start.

Just because some food is set aside in a separate pen for another animal where another animal can't get it, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will be eaten. Neither the animal without access eats it, nor the one given it, with the end result that it goes to waste.

In this case of the 50th Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon - and perhaps the upcoming 94th Comrades Marathon and maybe more after that - the end result is that not just South African viewers suffer but viewers wanting to watch and follow South African sporting events globally.

According to Keletso Totlhanyo, general manager of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), the Comrades "has sent a request to Athletics South Africa (ASA) for permission to engage with the public broadcaster while the SABC/ASA negotiations for a long-term broadcast agreement are still going on".

SABC spokesperson Vuyo Mthembu told The Sunday Times that the SABC "would like to show events like the Two Oceans Marathon but unfortunately couldn't conclude a deal with ASA".

Keletso Totlhanyo about the 94th Comrades Marathon told The Sunday Times that "if there is no contract there is nothing we can do".

ALSO READ: Serious harm awaits sports and sports broadcasting in South Africa in daft and shocking proposed new rules about TV sports rights from South Africa's broadcasting regulator.
ALSO READ: Premier Soccer League boss Irvin Khoza slams South Africa's broadcaster regulator; warns that Icasa's dumb and destructive sports rights regulations will destroy and dump SA sports back in the 1980's. 

BREAKING. Neo Momodu out as SABC spokesperson just 7 months after joining; Vuyo Mthembu now taking over.

Neo Momodu is out as the SABC spokesperson just 7 months after joining the struggling South African public broadcaster as the SABC's boss for marketing and corporate affairs, with Vuyo Mthembu - already working inside the SABC - taking over.

Neo Momodu replaced Kaizer Kganyago in mid-August 2018 with immediate effect as the crises-riddled South African public broadcaster's spokesperson after 13 years and became its new spokesperson.

Now she's gone without any explanation as to why and the SABC saying in a terse statement that the broadcaster and Neo Momodu "have parted ways".

"After careful consideration, Neo Momodu has decided to leave the SABC to pursue other interests. Both parties agreed to end the employment relationship amicably."

Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO said the SABC "would like to thank Neo Momodu for her contribution in heading up a critical division of the SABC" and that the SABC "wishes Neo Momodu well in her future endeavours".

Vuyo Mthembu who has been working within the SABC's corporate communications division for a number of years is now the new SABC spokesperson from Friday 13 March.