JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s public broadcaster on Saturday denied that it had failed to pay some of its employees’ salaries and severance packages due to financial difficulties.
In a statement, the financially-strapped South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which in January said it had concluded a six-month retrenchment process affecting just over 300 workers, noted some media reports which suggested it was unable to make the payments.
“The SABC can confirm that it has paid the salaries of its employees. The process of paying severance packages has begun and is anticipated to be concluded shortly with the majority of the payments having already taken place,” it said.
“The SABC would like to categorically refute the allegation that it is not able to pay the salaries of its employees. The corporation has a comprehensive and established cash management process in place that is aligned with best practice.”
The public broadcaster said it was able to meet all its obligations when due and had in fact embarked on an infrastructure renewal programme, as well as “significant investment in fresh and compelling content”.
“The corporation has further managed to recover ground lost as a result of the (Covid-19) pandemic and ... revenue generation is back at levels of a year ago, and showing strong growth, supported by the majority of our platforms that are meeting and exceeding financial targets,” it added.
The SABC slammed speculation on its payment struggles as unfounded “and no doubt spread with malicious intent and designed to discredit the corporation”, asserting that it had begun to witness substantial improvement in revenue generation to help it become self-sustaining.
The broadcaster was rocked by protests and threats of blackouts late last year and earlier in 2021 as workers demanded that it abandon its plans to cut jobs, which initially targeted about 400 employees.
“The SABC remains on track to achieve financial sustainability and will continue to fulfil its public mandate of educating, entertaining and informing the nation for generations to come,” it said on Saturday.
– African News Agency (ANA)