PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO: 1433
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25 September 2009
QUESTION PAPER NO: 18
DATE OF REPLY: 5 October 2009
Ms L D Mazibuko (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications:
1) (a) How much money was collected through the payment of television
licences in 2008 and (b) how many licences were purchased;
2) (a) where does the money collected from television licences go to and
(b) how is the allocation determined?
NW1791E
REPLY:
1) (a) Television licence collections for the 2008/09 financial year (1
April 2008 to 31 March 2009) amounted to R972 million.
(b) A total of 644 253 new licences were added to the TV Licences
database during the same period.
2) (a) In terms of the Broadcasting Act no 4 of 1999, as amended,
television licence revenue shall be used solely to fund the SABCâs
public service broadcasting (PSB) mandate.
(b) With regard to television broadcasting, income derived from
licence fees is allocated to the SABCâs two PSB channels, namely SABC1
and SABC2. Television licence revenue also assists in funding the
Corporationâs 15 PSB radio stations. These include, inter alia, 11
full-spectrum radio services in each of the countryâs official
languages, such as Umhlobo Wenene FM, broadcasting in isiXhosa; Ukhozi
FM, broadcasting in isiZulu; Lesedi FM, broadcasting in Sesotho;
Motsweding FM, broadcasting in Setswana; Phala Phala FM, broadcasting
in tshiVenda; SAfm, broadcasting in English and RSG
(RadioSonderGrense), broadcasting in Afrikaans. In addition, Lotus FM
is a full-spectrum Indian cultural service in English, and X-K Fm is a
community radio station broadcasting in the !Xu and Khwe languages of
the San people.