This was according to Mondli Gungubele, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, in response to parliamentary questions from EFF MP Sinawo Tambo.It should be noted that the amount of R44.2 billion doesn’t only include outstanding annual TV Licence payments but also penalties accrued for non-payment over several years.
To put this into perspective, the SABC’s 2021/22 annual results revealed that it generated R85 million in revenue from TV Licence payments.The SABC and government have proposed reworking the scheme to collect fees as a household tax to combat non-payment. “There will be a comprehensive overhaul of the SABC’s funding model based on international best practices to ensure that the public broadcaster has adequate funds to meet its public mandate,” the paper read.proposed a similar ideaIt proposed that the levy should be technology-neutral and based on a household’s ability to access SABC services.
Moreover, the SABC proposed that South Africa’s dominant pay-TV provider — MultiChoice — should help collect the levy on its behalf.