The South African Broadcasting Corporation SABC has distanced itself from a fabricated and misleading claim that it has introduced a car radio licence fee.
The claim surfaced on social media this week via a fake media statement purportedly from the public broadcaster.
No car radio licence fee planned, SABC saysIn an official statement on Thursday 8 May, the SABC said it had not issued any media statement or made any public pronouncement on this purported fee.
The SABC would like to refute this disinformation with the contempt it deserves, as there is no SABC directive or policy that aligns to this, it added.
The current TV licence system remains unchanged and applies only to television sets as per the Broadcasting Act 4 of 1999 and TV Licence Regulations 2004. Any changes to this framework require legislative amendments and broad consultation.
The state-owned broadcaster also announced on Thursday that its streaming platform, SABC Plus, has reached one million registered users since its relaunch in July 2024.
It therefore viewed this disinformation as an attempt at causing panic and destabilising it at a time it is celebrating this achievement.
The public is advised that all SABC media statements are only accessible from SABC official platforms, and everyone is encouraged to verify information. We urge the public to verify information directly with the SABC and not be misled by false claims, it added.
The government is mulling alternative funding models for the cash-strapped broadcaster amid a high 85.8 percent evasion rate that undermines the TV licence system.
These include a levy on local and international streaming services such as Showmax and Netflix as well as a household or business levy collected by the South African Revenue Service.