Secrecy bill can't silence SABC

CAPE TOWN - Picketing by disgruntled viewers, staffers and suppliers has become commonplace outside the South African Broadcasting Corp.'s (SABC) Johannesburg HQ in recent years -- and shows no sign of abating as the near-bankrupt pubcaster wrestles with a string of scandals.At the end of November, the SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition demonstrated in front of the building, calling for the government to axe SABC board chairman Ben Ngubane amid allegations of staff corruption.The cash-strapped broadcaster, which operates three channels, has had five chief executive officers and three boards since 2007 and is presently lacking a CEO, chief operating officer and chief financial officer.The picket at the SABC came two days after Black Tuesday, when mass protests failed to stop the South African parliament from passing the Protection of State Information Bill. This so-called Secrecy Bill means that journalists and whistle-blowers may be jailed for 25 years for possessing or disseminating information the government has deemed classified, even if acting in the public interest.Tensions within the SABC started with a politically appointed board in 2007.At a time when the SABC was losing advertising revenue, audiences and the production sector's trust, the pubcaster desperately needed visionary leadership, but instead became embroiled in a political battle between then president Thabo Mbeki and current president Jacob Zuma, with the pro-Mbeki board fired by Zuma's parliament in 2009.During the economic crisis in the 2008-2009 financial year, the SABC lost close to R1 billion ($124.5 million), and was forced to seek government guarantees of $186.7 million."Never-ending mismanagement, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and no permanence in leadership continue to be the order of the day at the SABC," says Marc Schwinges, deputy chair of the South African Screen Federation (Sasfed), which represents all the major film industry orgs.The pubcaster has had no clear financial recovery plan since the government withdrew the 1% tax on personal income that funded SABC.At the current picket, SOS, formerly known as Save Our SABC, complained that the pubcaster had not answered questions about a host of issues, including why the vacant exec positions hadn't been filled.They also want to know why pubcaster exec Justice Ndaba, disgraced for taking $30,600 for study and travel expenses, among other things, was replaced by former head Sipho Sithole, who previously faced allegations that his private interests in the music and film industries conflicted with his role at the SABC.The coalition also questioned the SABC's recently released Request for Proposals, its system for ordering locally made shows. "The 2010 and 2011 RFPs make up only a small percentage of what is required in new original programming to meet local content quotas," says Schwinges. SABC air a mix of children's programming, infomercials, imported series and some local general entertainment.More than 120 people gathered to support the coalition, including reps from Sasfed; the Congress of South African Trade Unions and its affiliated unions; and NGOs including the Freedom of Expression Institute, the Right to Know Campaign, Media Monitoring Africa, and the Soweto Concerned Residents Assn.In response, government communications minister Dina Pule has set up a war room to deal with the SABC crisis. She is pressing for the SABC turnaround plan to be finalized by January. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com