SABC coverage plans on track

Johannesburg, 02 Feb 2009

The SABC is on track to provide radio and television coverage to over five million people located in terrestrially remote areas, it says.

Etienne Nduli, Sentech's head of broadcasting projects, says progress is being made.

“Sentech, with its partner, SABC, is currently in the process of rolling out more low-power analogue transmitters for TV and radio in Limpopo, at Mpzema, Mavhunga, Vhulaudzi and Indermark; in the Free State, at Villiers and Phillipolis; and in the Western Cape, in the areas of Agter-Witzenberg and Genadendal.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has already approved the SABC's application to extend its broadcasting service to these areas.

The roll-out began in 2006, with the switch-on of low-power transmitters in the towns of Prince Albert, Nelspoort, Merweville, Leeu-gamka and Klaastroom. The initiative forms part of the SABC's vision of “Broadcasting for Total Citizenship Empowerment”, which aims to ensure rural communities have access to its broadcast services. The Department of Communications, the SABC and Sentech will work together on the project.

The SABC stated in 2006 that it plans to roll-out low-power transmitters, over a period of three years, to these areas as part of its mandate to ensure maximum coverage for the 2010 World Cup.

Kaizer Kganyago, SABC group communications officer, says “the SABC hopes to broadcast the 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer finals to more than five million across the country. The public broadcaster has gone into a strategic partnership with Sentech and the communications ministry to achieve this, which it says will become a legacy project after the games.”

Funding for the project will be taken from TV licence revenues and an additional R500 000 has been set aside for each financial year, since 2008.

Kganyago explains that the SABC's main role in the project is funding and says the funding for the last leg of the project has been set aside, but that progress depends on Sentech.

The SABC has to apply to ICASA for an extension of its services and wait for permission to connect the remote areas to be granted - Sentech's role is then to install new transmitters in these areas to ensure coverage.

“At the moment, we know that everything is running on schedule and, by the time the World Cup comes, people should be covered. Other areas were connected in 2008 and there are about another five areas to go before we reach our target. But it depends on our partners and approvals,” Kganyago says.