With the rise of streaming services in South Africa, many TV viewers are moving away from traditional linear broadcast television and want to cancel their TV licences.
The SABC has been facing an ongoing battle collecting TV licence payments, with over 80% of households ignoring their TV licence bills. As per the Broadcasting Act of 1999, any person that possesses or uses a TV set must have a licence and therefore pay the related fees.
A TV set is defined as any device that is capable of receiving a broadcast television signal.
“Anyone found in possession of a television set without having a valid TV licence would be liable for payment of the annual licence fee, plus a penalty of double the licence fee,” the SABC states.
If you own a TV but do not watch South African broadcasting such as programming from the SABC or DStv, you will still be required to pay your TV licence unless you remove your TV’s tuner.
The removal of the tuner must be done by a professional and then inspected by a SABC inspector — at the cost of R300 — to be approved.
After that, you will need to send the SABC proof that your TV set cannot receive a broadcast television signal every year.
If you no longer own a TV, you will need to submit the following documentation to the SABC:
An affidavit with the date from which the television set is no longer in use or possession and an explanation of what has become of the television set that the holder previously licenced.
If you donated or gave away your TV, you must provide the SABC with the new owner’s details (surname, initials, ID number and address) as well as their TV licence number.
If your TV was stolen, you need to give SABC the case number under which the crime was reported to the police.
If your TV was repossessed, you need to get the store manager’s signature or store stamp on the affidavit.
All notices to the SABC must be submitted in writing to one of the following channels:
Email – info@sabc.co.za
Fax – 011 330 9560/1
Post – The Manager, Television Licences, SABC, Private Bag X60, Auckland Park 2006
Freepost – JHZ153K, SABC, Auckland Park
While these are the government prescribed guidelines to complete the process of cancelling your TV licence, a MyBroadband staff member recently tried to cancel theirs without much luck.
They found that cooperation from the SABC is critical to cancel your TV licence, and basically impossible to obtain.
Source: mybroadband
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