The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is proposing that the television licence model be replaced with the household fee model.
THE PUBLIC broadcaster is owed a whopping R44.2 billion in television licence fees, Communications and Digital Technology Minister Mondli Gungubele said.
Gungubele revealed this when he was responding to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Vuyani Pambo, who asked for the amount owed to the SABC, and the proposals put in place to ensure the television licence model was replaced by a model that worked.
“A total of 9.2 million accounts have outstanding balances of R44.2 billion. These balances comprise of unpaid invoices and penalties levied for non-payment over several years,” Gungubele said.
“At east 5.6 million accounts have been handed over for external debt collection.”
Gungubele said Cabinet approved in November 2022 the SABC Bill for submission to Parliament for processing.
“The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) is proposing that the television licence model be replaced with the household fee model.
“Pending the legislative changes, the DCDT will continuously engage with the SABC and Treasury to examine the options for the necessary reform and enhancement required of the current television licence system to properly provide for the funding requirements of SABC and the most appropriate collection, enforcement systems and a timeline for implementation,” he said.
Earlier this year, Gungubele’s predecessor Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said a process to draft new legislation for collecting a tax, rather than a TV licence fee, had already begun.
Ntshavheni said the television licence scheme was not working and that impacted on the SABC’s ability to survive.
She had said it would take about three to five years for the transition from a licence fee model to a household levy.
The current licence fee model provides for any individual or entity that owns and/or uses a television set to pay an annual fee.
However, the household levy will provide for a fee to be paid based on the possible usage of SABC’s services.
