‘We cannot build a digital future on failing infrastructure,’ bemoans SABC CEO

SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli has warned Parliament that the public broadcaster’s infrastructure has reached the end of its lifespan and is putting the company at critical risk.

Chabeli said the lack of investment in infrastructure over the decades could lead to outages, and this will impact the entity’s reputation negatively.

She issued the warning on Thursday, while briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communication and Digital Technologies on the SABC's annual performance plan and strategy.

Chabeli said 79% of the broadcaster’s commercial revenue still comes from commercial activities, with 16% coming from licence fees.

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Chabeli said they also continue to reduce their losses, which have come down from R800 million three years ago to dipping below R200 million.

But infrastructure continues to lag and has reached a point where it’s putting the serious business at risk.

“We cannot build a digital future on failing infrastructure. As we know, much of our broadcast infrastructure and production infrastructure has reached the end of life. This exposes us to critical risk such as outages, inefficiencies, and, most importantly, reputational risk.”

Chabeli said infrastructure renewal for the SABC is an enterprise-wide priority, and the company will now be looking at ways to fund its infrastructure renewal.