Court suspends Communication Dept's analogue switch-off scheduled for 31 March

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has suspended the implementation of the final analogue switch-off scheduled for the end of March. 

Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has been interdicted from taking any steps to implement the switching off of analogue signals pending the outcome of a review application.

Last week, the high court heard the matter in an application launched by eTV, Media Monitoring Africa and the SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition.

They argued that the decision was not taken with rational consultation.

Judge Selby Baqwa of the High Court in Pretoria found that Malatsi failed to consult with stakeholders and that no invitation for comment on the feasibility of the deadline was sent to the industry.

This, despite the Constitutional Court highlighting that consultation was crucial when it ruled against former minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni in 2022.

Baqwa thus concluded that the decision was irrational and that it was only a matter of speculation that the public would suffer severe consequences if the move was not made for analogue transmitters to be taken out of operation at the end of March.  

The minister was also slapped with a costs order for all the applicants.