Hon Speaker, following the recent announcement by Mr "Happy News" Hlaudi Motsoeneng that all SABC news programmes should be balanced with 70% good news, it comes as no surprise that the popular debate show The Big Debate has been unceremoniously canned.
According to this new news standard, which is in clear contravention of the SABC's editorial codes, the show was clearly too critical of government's performance and not smart enough. Mr Motsoeneng has made a number of similar public statements in the past, which raise fundamental questions about the SABC's editorial independence.
It is becoming clear that the SABC is not only sacrificing its public accountability and editorial policy, but it is moving ever closer to becoming a de facto state broadcaster.
It brings into question the entire SABC's editorial review process, which is currently under way. Why spend taxpayer's money reviewing policies that will not be implemented? The same could be asked about the millions of rands we spend advertising positions on the recently newly appointed board when the whole process was a con from the beginning.
Mr Carrim, who is not here now, should provide us with answers. Is the SABC still a public broadcaster or is it now a state broadcaster? If the SABC is now officially the ANC's TV, who can blame those South Africans who are not supporters of the ANC and who, on the basis of these developments, no longer believe that it is the right thing to do to pay their TV licences. The TV licence payers, the ordinary South African, deserve answers. I thank you. [Applause.]