AfriForum demands explanation from SABC about missing Afrikaans TV news bulletin

In a letter to the Chairperson, CEO and management of the SABC, AfriForum demands an explanation as to why the Afrikaans TV news bulletin was not broadcasted on Saturday evening (5 April 2025) at 18:15 as usual. No explanation has been offered for this failure to broadcast it yet, and viewers are upset about the disregard for the Afrikaans audience’s access to news here.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, AfriForum already complained in August 2024 to the SABC management about the relocation of Afrikaans news bulletins and their replacement with sports or other events. It was then undertaken that the matter would be investigated, and disruptions would be limited as far as possible.

“Access to vital information in one of the official languages of the country is the most important reason for the SABC’s existence. Furthermore, the institution has constantly been struggling with budget shortfalls in recent years, and it is therefore incomprehensible that Afrikaans news, which according to our information is a key source of advertising revenue, is subject to fluctuations and omissions of this nature without explanation,” she says.

“Afrikaans consumers are loyal and financially strong. About a third of the market is Afrikaans. This makes it even more incomprehensible that the SABC is choosing to alienate this market. It is choosing to kill a proverbial goose that is laying golden eggs! We are extremely concerned about the role played by the public broadcaster. Not only Afrikaans speakers, but also speakers of other, smaller language groups in the country have long been dissatisfied with news bulletins that are broadcasted at inconvenient times,” Bailey adds.

While AfriForum awaits an explanation about Saturday’s events the organisation will monitor the situation to ensure that further disruptions do not occur.