By Kouthar Sambo
The unexpected withdrawal of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Bill from parliament was recently announced. It has been in development since 2018 and has gained considerable momentum after its introduction to parliament in October 2023.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show, a political analyst, Sandile Swana, described the move as a “political maneuver by the Democratic Alliance (DA) within the Government National Unity (GNU) to insinuate a form of privatization by the SABC.”
He added that the withdrawal of the bill is not legal and that the decision must be made collectively by the board of the SABC.
“A single minister withdrawing the bill is not permitted by law because this is not a private member’s bill – it was a submission to parliament by the executive. This means the whole cabinet must make a decision to withdraw the bill,” explained Swana.
Photo: Parliament of South Africa [Online]
