SABC dismisses media reports of further staff cuts
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Sunday dismissed media claims that it plans to cut staff.
“The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has noted the Sunday Time’s article published today [Sunday] ‘SABC’s plan cuts up to a third of staff’ and refutes the claims made in the story,” SABC spokeswoman Vuyo Mthembu said in a statement.
The SABC would like to put on record that it does not have any new plans to retrench staff, and the [Sunday Times] journalist only enquired about the 11 preconditions in relation to the SABC’s application for funding to National Treasury. There was no discussion around the issue of retrenchments,” she said.
In addition, it should be reiterated that on January 31, the corporation announced that it had aborted the process of section 189 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and would not renew the notice to invoke section 189.
This followed constructive and extensive engagements with various stakeholders, including the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications, organised labour, and SABC employees.
Currently, there is a skills audit underway under the auspices of the department of communications, and following this process the results of the skills audit in relation to staff optimisation will be fully engaged with all stakeholders, including organised labour and employees of the SABC.”
The SABC requested that the process of the funding application be allowed to be finalised in order not to create panic and uncertainty among SABC employees and the public at large, Mthembu said.
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The council has called on parliament to intervene ‘in the interests of all South Africans’.
The ongoing spat involving Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan strikes at the heart of South Africa’s constitutional order, and Parliament needs to act urgently to prevent further harm, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) said on Sunday.
“In light of the ongoing spat involving the public protector, the President [Cyril Ramaphosa], and minister Pravin Gordhan regarding the powers, jurisdiction, functioning, and competence of the public protector, Casac calls on the Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise to take steps to act in accordance with section 194 of the Constitution,” the Casac council said in a statement…Read more here
Source: IOL
