The Department of Communications informed parliament that no deadline has been set for the switch-off of analog television in South Africa, expressing concern that the public may have a different understanding of the situation.
CEO Nonkubela Jordan-Diani stated to the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies on Friday, August 14, that the date would only be considered after consultations with all stakeholders are complete.
According to Jordan-Diani, the steering committee, established by Minister of Communications Sulli Malatsi and comprising broadcasters and other interested parties, has finalized its terms of reference following delays. She expressed hope that this will lead to a substantive discussion on the state of migration and the path to switch-off.
This approach is significantly more cautious than a year ago, when the department proposed the industry set a date after 75% of set-top boxes were installed, which was immediately challenged by Media Monitoring Africa, noting that they insisted on a 90% or higher figure in court.
During the committee meeting, a figure that would be contested was also discussed. Content consultant Jacob Medupe, presenting a report from the SOS Coalition for Public Interest Broadcasting summit in July, reported that the summit was informed that nearly 500,000 viewers still rely on analog signals in four provinces not yet migrated to digital format.
This figure is significantly lower than estimates circulating during the dispute. Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse estimates affected households to be between 2.2 and 4.5 million, while eMedia claims that about 4.5 million households will continue to use analog signals after the switch-off because they cannot afford the necessary equipment.
Reasons for the Delay
The main point of contention from the beginning has been which of these figures is correct. In high court proceedings last year, lawyers for Media Monitoring Africa and SOS Coalition accused Malatsi of underestimating the number of people who would lose access to television.
The five provinces where the switch-off has already occurred—Free State, Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga—are the least populated. The remaining provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape make up approximately two-thirds of the total population.
The project is 16 years behind the original deadline set in December 2010 under the Thabo Mbeki administration, and 11 years behind the date South Africa promised the International Telecommunication Union. It has faced opposition from a series of ministers.
In March last year, the High Court in Pretoria prohibited Malatsi and Sentech from conducting the analog signal switch-off on March 31. Judge Selby Bakwa ruled that the minister had not consulted the industry before setting the date—the same error for which the constitutional court ruled against Kumbudzo Ntsawheni in 2022. The second part of this case, concerning the declaration of the decision as unlawful, is still pending. Since then, Malatsi has stated his desire to find an out-of-court solution.
The stakes for SABC are high. Medupe informed the committee that premature switch-offs have already led to audience and advertising revenue losses, worsening the broadcaster's financial position. Approximately 80% of SABC's income comes from advertising, and media observers have called this migration an existential risk for the public broadcaster.
The summit report recommended against further switch-offs until confirmed proof was obtained that affected households had reliable and affordable access to free-to-air services. Medupe admitted during questioning that the wording was too categorical, and instead, the department should have been asked for clarification regarding its plans. Committee member Imran Subrati, who attended the summit, noted that no one there called for a permanent halt—the concern was about timelines, and he met with participants from Alexandra and three other settlements who had never heard of set-top boxes.