The troubled former Idols runner-up Mthokozisi Ndaba now claims that he wanted to quit the Mzansi Magic show but was forced to stay; M-Net says he's lying.

The troubled former Idols runner-up Mthokozisi Ndaba who derailed his promising music career now claims that he wanted to quit the [SIC] Entertainment produced show during the height of the fateful 13th season on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) in 2017 but that he was forced to continue - with M-Net saying that Mthokozisi Ndaba is lying and that there's never been Idols contestants who wanted to leave without being voted out.

The troubled, faded star scandalously flamed out with shocking behaviour directly after Paxton Fielies was announced as the previous Idols winner.

He is also on the outs with Gallo Records with whom he got a recording deal but who says the troubled runner-up was simply not co-operating and difficult to contact.

The KwaMashu singer (26) was engulfed in controversy immediately after he stormed off stage after Paxton Fielies was announced as the winner of the 13th season of the FremantleMedia and [SIC] Entertainment produced reality singing show, and refuse to attend the post-show press conference and the prize-giving ceremony and after-party - the first runner-up ever to simply duck and flee.

He remained cloistered in Johannesburg and received help from medical professionals only for a charge of assault to then be laid against him just before he flew back to Durban, by Neo Tsele who posted graphic photos of her battered and bruised face and accused Mthokozisi Ndaba of hitting her and slamming her against a wall in a Braamfontein flat. She has since decided to drop the case.

In an interview with DRUM Mthokozisi Ndaba is now accusing Idols producers [SIC] Entertainment and M-Net of refusing to let him leave when he wanted to quit while he was in the Top 10 of the 13th season.

"Once I was in the top 10 I became greedy," says Mthokozisi Ndaba. "Day by day I was losing myself, I was emotionally weak and drained and I didn’t want to be there anymore. I was homesick and there was too much pressure. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to pull out of the competition but the Idols team said no".

Nondumiso Mabece, head of publicity at M-Net for local entertainment channels, told TVwithThinus in response to a media enquiry seeking comment about Mthokozisi Ndaba's claims, that contestants are not forced to remain part of Idols.

"Participation in Idols is purely voluntary and contestants are welcome to leave the show at any point they might deem it necessary to do so. In the past 13 seasons of Idols South Africa we have not had a contestant who wanted to leave without being voted out of the show."

If Idols contestants are receiving psychological and emotional support, what is the quality or nature of this support, if Mzansi Magic and [SIC] Entertainment couldn't pick up during the show that Mthokozisi Ndaba has problems, allegedly wanted to quit, felt "emotionally weak and drained" and was under too much pressure?

"Idols top 16 contestants receive different types of support during their stay in the show and this ensures that they are physically and medically prepared to do their best in the show - some contestants have even requested the opportunity to see preachers in order to receive spiritual support," says Nondumiso Mabece.

"Idols and Mzansi Magic are not at liberty to discuss the nature and extent of medical assistance Mthokozisi Ndaba was offered and received, as that goes against his right to privacy."

MultiChoice dumps Tencent's VOOV from DStv after just 9 months as the failed VOOVTV flopped in audience engagement and ratings.

MultiChoice is dumping Tencent's failed VOOV after just 9 months with the failed VOOVTV channel that went nowhere and was a flop in audience engagement and ratings.

VOOV - that you probably never heard about - is getting canned at the end of July after MultiChoice added the what-is-it-exactly? channel in November 2017. VOOVTV failed to market or publicise itself and couldn't get traction on DStv.

VOOV, a social live streaming mobile app, launched in July 2017 in South Africa, with MultiChoice that then decided to run packaged content from VOOV as part of "VOOVTV". VOOV is owned and operated by Tencent in China, that is part of Naspers.

"While VOOVTV offered a fresh take on TV, and produced learnings that are already influencing the future of TV production, it didn't gain the traction anticipated. As from 31 July 2018, VOOVTV will stop airing on DStv," says MultiChoice in a statement.

SABC1 introduces a new programming line-up after the 2018 World Cup, including new drama and reality series, as well as a dedicated Sunday night local drama miniseries slot.

The SABC's most-watched TV channel is introducing a new programming line-up and content following the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with some new SABC1 drama and reality shows, new seasons of local series, and some scheduling changes like a dedicated Sunday night local drama miniseries slot.

"We will be introducing a slate of brand-new shows, new seasons, as well as revamped popular shows," says Clara Nzima, SABC1 channel head. "We are very excited with our innovative Sunday drama slate and feel confident that the new offering is nothing like what audiences have seen before. The channel is also upping the ante on the entertainment side with new shows, new presenters and revamped popular titles."

Social Fabric  Wednesday 18 July 18:00
This licensed international entertainment reality series takes viewers on a humorous and enlightening journey into the world of modern street wear.
The eccentric designer Kyle Ng embarks on a series of adventures around one global and iconic fashion staple, including plaid, cowboy boot, camouflage and the suit. Starting from the simple question, "Who wore it first?", Kyle dives into the lives of craftsmen, collectors, celebrities and eccentrics who share a passion for what they put on.

One Mic II  Thursday 19 July 18:00
A second season of this local reality competition show looking for the country's best underground young rap artists.
Each week 4 upcoming rappers go head-to-head in a sing-off battle to find one winner. Rappers are judged by hip hop legends Siyabonga "Big Zulu" Nene and Arnold "Aewon Wolf" Phillips, including a guest judge per episode. The presenter is hip hop DJ and artist Khethiwe "Doowap" Morgan.


Now or Never VI  Mondays 18:00
The docu-reality series is back for a 6th season with men and women who have made life changing mistakes and who are now using their painful past as a tool to help other people.

Thandeka's Diary V  Mondays 19:30
This comedy series is back for a 5th season about the growing pains of a teenage girl from Kagiso in the West Rand.
Her boastful dad is a mechanic and her protective mom is a self-employed seamstress. Her 7-year old sister is like all annoying 7-year olds, nosey and mischievous. Thandeka lives in a big house which her dad inherited from his parents, but her dad's eldest brother who never moved out and never lifts a finger to do any work. With every diary entry, every week is an adventure for Thandeka.

Nyan'Nyan VI  Tuesdays 18:00
Presenter Luyanda Potwana is back in a 6th season of this factual series.
This emotainment series takes young couples on a journey where they confront secrets in their relationships that they have kept hidden. As the shocking truth is brought to light, couples can hopefully build a more solid relationship.

Shuga Naija VI  Wednesdays 19:30
SABC1 is now rebroadcasting the latest 6th season of this drama series from Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) that was shown in March on MTV Base on DStv.
Filmed in Nigeria, the stories in the edutainment series incorporate messages about sex and sexual health using young Nigerian characters living in Lagos.
New new season has new characters with stories revolving around friendships and relationships being tested as well as secrets that could break families apart. With Timini Egbuson, Jemima Osunde, Sharon Ezeamaka, Nobert Young, Alvin Abayomi and Helena Nelson.

Raw Silk II  Thursday 19 July 21:00
A second season of this local reality competition show that follows 13 township-based fashion designers who have talent but no opportunities to be recognised.
The aspiring designers from across South Africa compete for a prize in Johannesburg as they have to battle each other in weekly fashion design challenges. Pearl Modiadie is the presenter, with the judges Ole Ledimo, Yasmin Furmie and Nthato Mashishi.

The Remix South Africa  Friday 20 July 18:00
This reality competition show will have episodes on Fridays and Sundays at 18:00 and looks for best singer-DJ/producer team.
The Remix SA is a South African version of an international reality format from Turkey.
Contestants have to create a new version, in another music genre, of well-known songs. With a live audience dancing on the beat of the music, teams are given songs based on episodic themes which they then have to remix. The presenters are Rouge and KG with Mo Flava and Kelly Khumalo as the judges.


Live AMP  Friday 20 July 19:30
A new-look for this music magazine show produced by Urban Brew Studios with presenters Lamiez Holworthy and DJ Speedsta replacing Lerato Kganyago and DJ Warras.

Friends Like These  Saturday 21 July 18:00
Trevor Gumbi is now the presenter of the new season of this game show.
Each week two teams of best friends - 5 guys and 5 girls - take each other on in a series of challenges to win holiday prizes.

Gospel Unplugged  Sunday 22 July 17:30
This new local and contemporary gospel music show that incorporates both talk and lifestyle segments is making its debut on Sunday 22 July at 17:00 with singer Mmatema Moremi as the presenter.
The show will cover urban gospel music from hip hop, to house and R&B gospel music. The show has a karaoke insert, while invited guests will open up about their life journeys with God and singing their favourite songs.


Africa by Women III  Sunday 22 July 19:30
A 3rd season of 10 episodes of this drama series of individual South African short stories created and produced by young black female filmmakers, in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).

Emoyeni  Sunday 22 July 20:00
This new 4-part drama series follow the journeys of individuals plagued by loss, fear, guilt, pain and desire. Viewers will meet Phakamile, a drunk man responsible for his daughter going missing.
Bonga is a popularity-hungry fashionista running away froma calling, and Zen is a water-spirit who desperately wants to be human.
Hitso, a grieving-widow, is saddled with her cheating husband's illegitimate son. Each of these individuals' lives are shaken when they come into contact with the world beyond.
SABC is introducing local miniseries on Sundays at 20:00 in a series strand called "Woza Nazo".

Verified  Friday 28 September 18:00
This new reality entertainment show will give the creative content creators behind video clips that often go viral, the change to compete to find the "most valuable player".
Online content creators who claim to be the best in the game get the chance to settle the score in the content-creation space and to be "verified" as the creators of the best social media feeds. The presenter is Nehemiah Tjatji.

Side Dish  Sunday 19 August 20:00
This new local drama miniseries revolves around a group of 4 married friends who go on holiday, with one of the women who invites her much younger "Ben 10" lover over. Things take a turn for the worse when the Ben 10 sleeps with one of the friends.
After an argument ensues, Ben 10 is accidentally killed. Faced with the dilemma of whether to report the death or not, the ladies decide to bury ben 10 as they see it as their only way to keep themselves out of prison and to save their marriages.

Emjindini  Sunday 16 September 20:00
This new local drama miniseries revolves around Amos who works in a 100-year old gold mine.
His lack of focus results in a minor tremor in the shaft he and his team is working in. While struggling to come out of the shaft, he finds a bag of old gold coins.
The treasure could help his young family out of poverty must he must first find a way to smuggle the gold coins out of the banned mining shaft.


1's and 2's V  Sunday 30 September 18:00
The reality competition show is back for a 5th season that looks for a superstar DJ and music producer.
The show will have an as-yet-unannounced new presenting and judging team, a new set and going for broader appeal, by incorporating elements of other music genres like gqom. Hopeful DJs from across South Africa will get another chance to battle it out against each other in the hope of becoming the next big thing behind the turntables.

iKani  Sunday 30 September 19:30
This family drama series mixes elements of mystery and fantasy. It tells tells the story of Khanya Hlophe, in search of her true identity and how she ultimately comes full circle with her roots.
In a first for the SABC and for South African television, iKani will be the first local drama series on the SABC filmed in the isiNdebele language.

Tbo Touch to expand Touch HD in October with the launch of THD as a new video-om-demand service to take on competitors like DStv and Netflix.

Yet another new video-on-demand (VOD) service plans to launch before the end of 2018 with Thabo Molefe, better known as Tbo Touch, planning to start his THD service within months as a competitor in the tightly-contested space.

THD set for launch in October - an expansion of Tbo Touch's existing Touch HD online radio station - will compete with rival services like Naspers' Showmax currently run by MultiChoice, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and DEOD in a field that already saw VIDI, Altech Node, MTN's VU and recently PCCW Global's ONTAPtv.com bail out and shutter.

In an interview with the website TechCentral, Tbo Touch said that he had secured millions of rand in seed investment from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Pricing for THD will be released later, but the entrepreneur said his VOD service will offer video priced more aggressively than competitors and through apps and the internet.

Tbo Touch said THD will produce local documentaries, TV series and films as well as offer movies and series from Hollywood and that he also sees MultiChoice's DStv as a competitor "because of the abundance of choice we are offering on this platform as well as the quality".

"I have met numerous content creators, we have added 18 videographers and directors in partnership with the IDC. They have pumped good money into the business to accommodate our innovative plans for the next 24 months," Tbo Touch said.

The SABC's inquiry into SABC News editorial interference now open to the public, final report to be made public as well, after an out-of-court settlement with Media Monitoring Africa and the SOS Coalition.

The SABC that initially decided to keep testimony from various people before its inquiry into editorial interference at the South African public broadcaster's SABC News division private and secret has decided to open its inquiry to the public following an out-of-court settlement with Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and the SOS Coalition, two non-profit civil society organisations.

Last week MMA and the SOS Coalition filed an urgent application in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, demanding that the SABC open its in-camera inquiry into editorial interference to the public.

"The issue of editorial independence at the SABC is of particular interest to the public given the fact that the SABC is obliged to report news fairly and objectively without undue political interference," the MMA and SOS Coalition argued in its court papers.

The MMA and SOS Coalition further demanded that the SABC must make the schedule and details public of when former and current SABC board members will be appearing before the SABC's inquiry into editorial interference.

MMA and the SOS Coalition also accused Dr Joe Thloloe, chairperson of the SABC's editorial interference inquiry, or reneging on his earlier promise that the inquiry that started on 2 July would be open to the public.

In a statement MMA and the SOS Coalition says that in the out-of-court settlement "the SABC agreed to open some parts of the inquiry to the public and the media".

"In terms of the agreement, written and oral submissions by the SABC's current or former board members and senior executives, and those of third parties will be open to the public and the media. Other staff members and whistleblowers will continue to be protected by the confidentiality that was promised when the inquiry was set up."

"Where a staff member wants his or her written submission to be public he or she is entitled to make their written submission public in their private capacity and/or to give interviews on the contents of their submissions, written or oral."

"Such individual staff members will be responsible for any legal or other consequences arising from the publication of their submissions and the SABC undertakes not to invoke any confidentiality or other similar clause in their employment contracts."

The full version of the final report prepared by the commission of inquiry will also be made public but the identities of confidential witnesses may be redacted from the final report.

The full transcript of all oral hearings conducted by the commission, except for those relating to confidential witnesses, will be made public as well, and the commission's schedule is to be open to the public as well.

"We are delighted that following the discussions all parties have reached an agreement that in our view allows issues of confidentiality to be protected but also ensures that some aspects can be open to the public," says William Bird, MMA director.

SOS Coalition coordinator, Duduetsang Makuse, says "Considering the much publicized turmoil that our public broadcaster has been on, as well as the long road of recovery that lies ahead, it was crucial that this process be open, transparent and inclusive of the South African public, to whom the SABC belongs".

SABC2's small-town talent-seeking competition show, Showville, renewed for a 2nd season, now seeking more rural contestants.

SABC2's small-town talent-seeking competition show Showville that has been renewed for a second season, has started its second batch of national auditions and is now looking for new rural contestants.

The first local season of the international format show Showville was broadcast in 2016 with the second season's format remaining the same.

The second season, again produced by Okuhle Media, does auditions in small towns across South Africa with people, having all kinds of talents, who can line up for auditions to perform. Finalists are chosen and are then coached by mentors in preparation for a big show performance in front of their families and the town's audience. The winner gets R10 000 and a trophy as the star of their town.

Presenters Lorcia Cooper and Morena "The Squire" Sefatsa are replacing Rob van Vuuren and Bontle Modiselle, who are scouring small-town South Africa for weird, wonderful and unusual acts and performances.

The Showville production will be visiting the following South African towns during July and August: Louis Trichardt (Makohado) (19 July), Tzaneen (23 July), Phalaborwa (26 July), Lydenburg (Mashishing) (30 July), Sabie (2 August), White River (6 August), Baberton (9 August), Ermelo (13 August), Piet Retief (16 August), Volksrust (20 August), Standerton (23 August) and Bethal (27 August).

People older than 16 can enter individually or in a group of up to 4 people, and need to show up at the Showville audition venue from 10:30 for registration and then perform for the producers.

Adventurous dating reality show, The Longest Date, coming to SABC3, looking for single, romantic contestants.

A branded new adventurous dating reality show, The Longest Date, produced by Brandgen, is coming to SABC3 and is now looking for contestants to partake in heart-racing outdoor activities set in the Mpumalanga province.

Chris Jaftha will be the presenter.

The Longest Date on SABC3 will feature "extreme dating" with 16 contestants, 8 couples, who will spend 14 days in Mpumalanga".

Contestants will partake in abseiling, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping" as they compete against other couples with the winning couple getting R100 000.

Contestants need to be single and older than 25, and the closing date for entries is 31 July 2018.

The rebranded eNCA dumps Africa from the TV news channel's new look without any explanation as to why - and a lot of unanswered questions.

The rebranding of eNCA (DStv 403) introduced this week Monday on eMedia Investments' TV news channel has seen eNCA dump Africa - literally - as in doing away with the 11-point hendecagon symbol representing the African continent.

In May longtime eNCA insiders told TVwithThinus that the outline of the African continent done in blue from the second rebrand - and that was formed out of the tiles of the first eNCA rebrand when the logo changed from the eNews Channel look - will be a gonner when eNCA rebrands in July.

This has now been confirmed with viewers that can see that Africa as far as eNCA's new on-air look is concerned, is indeed gone.

eNCA hasn't explained the news channel's new logo and hasn't explained why the Africa silhouette has been deleted.

eNCA and e.tv didn't respond to any media enquiries made last week about eNCA's on-air rebranding.

According to eNCA insiders who spoke out in May, a top-level eMedia Holdings executive allegedly said in a meeting that he wants the Africa logo removed from the eNCA logo since Africa is synonymous with famine and corruption.

TVwithThinus asked Vasili Vass, eMedia Investments group head of corporate affairs, as well as Michael Pocock, e.tv publicist about this in a written media enquiry and what the company's comment is about this but neither responded.

According to an insider eNCA - formerly an abbreviation of "eNews Channel Africa" - allegedly also "no longer stands for anything. It's now just letters". eNCA and e.tv were asked about this, what eNCA stands for now - or maybe still - but chose to also not to comment and respond.

eMedia Investment's removal of Africa from the eNCA logo fits in with eNCA's dramatic downsizing of first-hand Africa news coverage over the past 3 years, including the shuttering of its Africa bureaux, firing of correspondents, cancelling its news and current affairs shows specifically covering Africa, and largely making use of international wire news service content when there's news in Africa further removed from its Hyde Park, Johannesburg studios in South Africa.

A lot of unanswered questions
A lot of questions about eNCA's latest rebrand - the news channel's third in its 10 year history - remain unanswered.

eNCA didn't explain why the afternoon strand News Day was canned, or why News Night was moved an hour earlier to now start at 17:00, or why Moneyline was dumped. 

The eNCA on-air rebrand comes amidst a wave of defections from eNCA the last few months with staffers who said that "morale is at an all time low". No word on what eNCA makes of that.

What exactly is eNCA's view and relationship towards Africa regarding news and covering it with breaking news stories when it happens as well as investigative first-person, on-the-ground stories in the way CNN International (DStv 401) and Sky News (DStv 402) do? Why the lack of investment in this area? Because eNCA doesn't want to, or can't afford it?

How will eNCA on MultiChoice's DStv be different than eMedia Investment's new sister TV news channel, OpenNews, that it will be launching on Openview within months and what are the differentials between the two (since eNCA rebrand now presumably took in account that it can't "rebrand" yet again in a few months come November)?

How does eNCA and eMedia Investment execs feel about its ongoing business relationship with MultiChoice that carries eNCA on DStv and what is the future, and long-term future outlook of the channel and this relationship? There are some very clear signs of relationship strain bordering on dislike between the two.

Will eNCA's dalliance with political parties and the way eNCA is courting politicians continue into 2019 - a general election year? How will eNCA try to maintain a semblance of impartiality and objectivity when political leaders are put in eNCA's anchor chair to apparently create social media viral moments instead of bringing the audience news - and will there be more similar "must-see TV" stunts during South Africa's election year?

Finally there's the litany of complaints regarding the new on-air look that eNCA seems to ignore. Was this tested beforehand? Did someone sit down and look how everything would look on camera beforehand? It feels as if eNCA decided to roll it out to viewers as a live on-air test without actually sorting the myriad of issues viewers are complaining about, first.

e.tv and the SABC silent over the drop-off danger and the threat of disappearing audiences in South Africa's digital terrestrial TV switch-over.

South Africa's two biggest free-to-air broadcasters - e.tv and the SABC - are both silent over the looming danger, and the horrific implications for their respective audience ratings, when millions of viewers nationwide could be disappearing in the country's switch-over to digital terrestrial television (DTT) as the government warns that it is nearing the point where it will start shutting down analogue signals for entire provinces.

With South Africa's stalled decade-long switch from analogue to digital TV broadcasting - a process known as digital migration - moving forward with lurching imprecision, the department of communications last week announced that it plans to switch off all analogue TV signals to the entire Free State province.

Also of concern is that the minister of communications's new Broadcasting Digital Migration Advisory Council that have representatives from broadcasters and the TV industry, doesn't include any members who are directly representing the South African viewing public or civic organisations that are representing public broadcasting interests.

Nomvula Mokonyane, the minister of communications, last week warned that in the "the countdown to the Free State Province switch-off by December 2018" that people in this province need to get their set-top box (STB) they need to continue watching the SABC and e.tv's free TV channels.

The South African government, after missing the international June 2015 deadline to complete the process, is now under pressure to try and make its next self-imposed deadline of June 2019 to switch off all analogue TV signals nationally.

Only people receiving social grants and those earning less than R3 200 per month qualify for a free, government subsidised STB.

Struggling South African families in the so-called "middle income group" - those earning more than R3 200 but less than R6 500 - as well as those earning more, are getting no government support and will have to buy a STB costing around R700 or a new integrated digital TV set.

Many of these TV households don't know that they qualify for a free STB, don't know that they need to buy one or about the DTT process, or can't afford to suddenly buy a STB even if they earn more than R3 200.

TV households who don't switch will be cut off and lose the existing free SABC, e.tv and community TV channels they've been watching when analogue signals get cut.

The looming problem comes in when the department of communications starts to cut off whole provinces, like its plan for the Free State come December 2018, when thousands of TV households either haven't switched to using a government-subsidised STB, or haven't bought one because they don't know about it or can't afford it.


How many will disappear from the TV ratings universe?
That will not just lead to analogue TV households losing public access to existing free-to-air TV channels, but e.tv and the SABC as broadcasters losing swathes of viewers who will completely drop out of existence from the overall so-called "TV universe" - the sampling of South African households with a TV set making up the matrix used for compiling the country's national TV ratings.

The South African government is supposed to keep both analogue and its parallel DTT signals going - a process known as "dual illumination" - until the bulk of existing analogue TV households have migrated and it's safe to switch analogue off.

With its announced December 2018 shut-down deadline for the Free State, it appears that the department of communications will switch off analogue signals even if the bulk of Free State province TV households have not switched to DTT in just 4 months' time.

It's not clear how TV ratings services and the Broadcasting Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) - overseeing radio and television audience measurement research and TV ratings for broadcasters, as well as the advertising and marketing industry - are going to handle the issue of the potential drop-off and disappearance of millions of viewers watching public TV channels when their access to analogue signals are taken away.

A week ago Vasili Vass, eMedia Investments group head of corporate affairs, was asked for comment as to whether it's a concern for e.tv, given that a sizeable chunk of TV audience watching e.tv are making use of analogue TV signals and might simply disappear if they have not switched to DTT.

e.tv was also asked for the broadcaster's view on how the switch from analogue to DTT might impact e.tv in terms of possible loss of its available audience because of the swith, but Vasili Vass didn't respond to the written media enquiry.

Last week the SABC was asked the same questions regarding the viewing audience of the public broadcaster watching SABC channels through its analogue signals, and the threat of audiences vanishing when analogue is switched off before viewers have switched over.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago likewise didn't respond to the written media enquiry.


'A real problem' William Bird, director at Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), told TVwithThinus that it's a problem that the public interest isn't represented on the minister of communications' Digital Broadcasting Advisory Council.

"This is indeed a real problem - it means that the public interest is likely to be marginalised in favour of what works for big industry. This is a real problem. We are working on it," he said.

Speaking about DTT and STBs William Bird said "the real question is whether DTT is already dead in the water".

"MMA's view is that its time has passed and we need to be looking to other methods, specifically satellite and broadband to ensure connection for all and to ensure that all people have access to free-to-air services."

"Satellite is already in more than 50% of all homes in South Africa. The costs for reaching all people with DTT are massively prohibitive and will also involve upgrading equipment that is already out of date as well as doing more work on the actual spectrum."

"We see form international experience that DTT will be gone from many countries in the not too distant future."

Meanwhile Marian Shinn, the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party's member of parliament looking after telecommunications, says the Broadcasting Digital Migration Advisory Council "seems to be aimed only at delivering the short-term goal of analogue broadcasting switch-off to the Free State by December 2018, as well as chalking up a pre-election 'achievement for the 2019 general election".

According to Marian Shinn, the minister of communications Nomvula Mokonyane, "ducked out of a joint meeting of the portfolio committees on communications and telecommunications and postal services scheduled for 5 June to discuss the status of the broadcasting digital migration programme".

"The committees' last had a progress report from the former minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, in September 2016".

"The DA once again repeats the callfor a 2-day public hearing in parliament to comprehensively review the entire broadcasting digital migration programme," she said.

"The hearings should look at the full cost of implementing the programme and how this will be funded, determine whether the corrupted government-sponsored STB-programme should be scrapped in favour of integrated digital TV sets [and] how the programme will be funded".

"We also need to know whether to upgrade signal distributor Sentech's terrestrialdigital transmission infrastructure, which has been largely unused since it was erected to meet the International Telecommunications Union's analogue switch-off deadline of 17 June 2015, or switch the entire digital broadcasting programme to satellite transmission."

"The switch-off of the analogue broadcasting signal is extremely urgent to free up desperately needed spectrum for mobile broadband use, but it would be foolish and probably wasteful to focus only on ways to now fast-track an outdated, corrupted, and inadequately-funded process," Mariann Shinn said.