Pretoria - The?SABC?is now demanding that South Africans pay TV license fees for computer monitors, even if they are not using those devices to watch TV.
According to My broadband, the public broadcaster sent a notice through an annual e-mailed TV Licence Renewal Notice letter.
The notices come a few years after the?SABC?put on the table and then scrapped the idea of charging TV license fees for any device that could connect to the internet, including smartphones.
This year’s notice stated that the definition of a TV set includes a “TV monitor (without receiving capabilities) able to receive a broadcast signal by virtue of being connected to any television receiving equipment.”
The broadcaster specified that the receiving equipment could include a “digital box/decoder, DVD [player] or PC”.
The SABC’s executive for corporate affairs and marketing, Gugu Ntuli, said the letter referred to TV monitors connected to TV receiving equipment.
“It must be noted that such receiving equipment (STB, decoder, tuner, etc.) renders the TV monitor as a TV due to the television broadcast signal transmitted,” Ntuli was quoted as saying.
My broadband said the SABC’s letter specifically named a DVD player and PC as examples of TV receiving equipment when neither has this inherent capability, which makes it possible for license holders to easily mistake the term “digital box” for a streaming box with no broadcast-receiving functionality.
The online publication followed up with the broadcaster, but it did not respond by the time the article was published.
Speaking to the publication, Outa chief executive Wayne Duvenage said that the SABC’s addition of monitors was wrong and appeared to be opportunistic in its search for “ailing” TV license revenue.
“They had plans to amend the Act to include screens and computers that didn’t have television receiving capabilities, but I’m not sure this was done, and if so, it would have been heavily challenged in court,” Duvenage was quoted as saying.
- BF Mokoena
- ANC is desperate for money. SA citizens must suffer further because of their failures. ANC supporters, please tell me how much should your party continue milking us out dry before you realize that you are not benefitting, only they (the ANC) are benefitting.
- ron capes
- Again the ANC trying to extort more money for no service from those who are subsidizing everything anyway, and have been since 1994
- Schalk Compaan
- How about No Way and come and try that? In this matter as the e-toll all South Africans will stand together and stop all payments
- Joking Atheis
- I refuse/refused to pay another cent towards the SABC since I switched to streaming/internet service-only viewing. I cannot in good conscience support a Criminal Enterprise ANC Propaganda Machine. The Criminal Enterprise ANC uses this SABC Vehicle as an ATM and a means to Indoctrinate. Especially when fees are paid by a very specific demographic and the viewing content created, is for a completely different demographic. When entertainment is the very last thing on the SABC mind. Not to mention the low level of content in order to fleece profits at the expense of quality. I for one will never pay another cent towards this entity "EVER".
- Stephen P
- Wow, anything to fleece the people.
- reshaad khan
- Firstly, what part does the SABC play in streaming services available in this country? I don't think anybody that uses streaming services is actually streaming any SABC content. Why would they? This is the ANC wanting to make more money from the already over-taxed taxpayer. If you guys want money, go and ask Hlaudi to pay back all the money he stole.
- hot dog hush puppy
- WON'T HAPPEN NO ONE WILL PAY TO FORGET IT
- Lothian Giani
- They are trying to pay back the 11 million for that thieving corrupt cadre Hlaudi that he has been ordered by the courts to pay back They can go and you know what themselves
- Dj Natsume
- Voetsek!! they just want money and they can't even supply new content
- Mariana Theunissen
- ?????????????????????????????? no one watches SABC channels anymore. Thanks for Netflix Showmax Amazon ????????
- Bunny Mcfunny
- LOL, we won`t pay the tv license either. Its time to stop funding racist Marxist terrorists
- K R
- Wasn't it our fault you completely destroyed SABC with your corruption, why must we now pay for it? Oh ya to fill your pockets again. pathetic.
- Francois Coetsee
- We'll see this from all SOEs as long as the ANC has control. Self-enrichment is all they care about, screw the rest as long as they can milk the economy and the consumer's pockets for as long as possible
- Vincent Thompson
- Ummmm.....NO?!!!! They can go fly their kites. The best idea, for all, is to stop paying ANYTHING to this government.?
- 70 % of the public does not pay anything. Yet, nothing happens to them, they carry on regardless. It is time, NOW, to stop this nonsense.?
- Do not entertain this nonsense any longer - you are being abused and manipulated - by fools.
- Lelo Ribs
- I am beyond shocked the ANC is now making us poesus
- Neo Thebe
- Why should I pay for a tv license? If I don't pay dstv I can watch tv, it makes no sense to pay dstv and tv licenses at the same time.
- Mike Goode
- If SuperSport, Multichoice, and DSTV's unfair stranglehold over SA sport was removed - the SABC wouldn't have to try and squeeze revenue from non-TV viewers and they would be able to turn the corporation around. There are so many legal loopholes in their equipment definitions and their logic - for one thing - there are no free SABC channels streaming over the internet. The SABC would almost certainly lose any legal attempt to extract money from non-TV owners and non-DSTV subscribers - if taken to court.
- alicetair ellis
- SABC?does not own?ANDROID
- Game Xpress
- guess what? I'll still not pay it lol
- Paul Wootten
- Let's understand this- the ANC want SA citizens to pay for a service they do not use! Ie just another ANC state-capture Scam
- roger trythall
- NUTS. Reminds me of how they wanted to bring courier services through the defunct Postal office
- Stephen Hamilton
- They can demand all they want and send threatening legal letters with baseless threats.?They don't represent me, and they don't provide a service that I watch.?Screw them
- Chris Boshoff
- Produce content that people will gladly pay for rather than force people to pay for the rubbish you produce.
