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The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has called for the urgent funding of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to enable it to fulfil its critical public service mandate during the upcoming 2026 Local Government Elections. 

The committee made the call following its engagement with the SABC, which briefed the committee on its state of readiness to provide comprehensive coverage of the elections. The briefing highlighted the significant financial resources required for the SABC to execute its election mandate, with an estimated R120 million required to support its election coverage operations. 

The committee stressed that the SABC occupies a unique and indispensable position in South Africa’s electoral democracy. As the public broadcaster, the SABC has a constitutional and legislative responsibility to ensure that citizens, including those in underserved and rural communities, have access to reliable, accurate and timely information to enable them to make informed choices at the ballot box. 

Committee Chairperson Ms Khusela Sangoni Diko emphasised that the SABC cannot be expected to fulfil this critical public service and democratic mandate while it continues to be chronically defunded. 

The committee further expressed concern about the government’s apparent disregard of the serious financial constraints under which the public broadcaster operates. The committee is also concerned by the slow pace in dealing with the pressing challenge of a sustainable public broadcasting funding model, which has placed increasing pressure on the corporation’s ability to fulfil its statutory mandate.  

Last year, the SABC requested dedicated funding to support its election coverage. This matter should never have been left to be the challenge it is now, as this could jeopardise the depth and scope of the public broadcasters election coverage, thus leaving parties unevenly profiled. 

The committee also noted that the scale and complexity of local government elections require the extensive deployment of personnel, technology and broadcasting infrastructure across the country. This includes election-related programming, voter education, news coverage, political debates, outside broadcasts and the dissemination of election results. 

In addition to funding, the committee underscored the importance of strong editorial governance and oversight measures within the SABC to ensure that its election coverage of all political parties contesting the elections is fair, balanced and equitable. 

The committee will continue to exercise its oversight responsibility over the public broadcaster and monitor its preparations for the 2026 Local Government Elections, including progress in securing the resources required to execute its election mandate. 

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Khusela Sangoni Diko