MultiChoice announced the termination of its contract with the public broadcaster for SABC Africa earlier this month.
According to the SABC spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, staff members from the news department of the channel will continue to work for SABC News, whilst employees in the entertainment section will stay on as they will be involved with preparations for the launch of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT). “We are keeping them. We need experienced people to prepare for DTT.”
Kganyago was uncertain of how many employees would be affected.
When asked how much it would cost to keep these staff members on, he said, “That is not the issue. They will play an instrumental role in the new digital channels planned by the broadcaster. They will be utilised.”
The switch-over from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting is expected to start on November 1. It is, however, unclear when broadcasters will launch their DTT services to the public.
The SABC is still in negotiations with MultiChoice over its 24-hour news channel, SABC News International.
