Mthethwa wants SABC to broadcast more local content
Government is expected to meet with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to ask it to play more local content during the lockdown.
Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa says his department is aware of the fact that the public broadcaster is lacking local content.
Mthethwa and acting Communications Minister Jackson Mthembu will meet with the public in the next two weeks.
The minister wants local content to dominate the airwaves at the financially embattled SABC to ensure local artists make money during the lockdown.
“We are told through research that local content is not played as much as it should in South Africa,” says Mthethwa.
“We are pleading as we did then, and we are pleading again, let us see more local content.”
Mthethwa says his department has received some 4 000 applications from artists for funding from the department’s relief fund.
Mthethwa says 1050 applications have been adjudicated.
A total of 232 have been approved, 603 rejected while 203 have been sent back due to missing information.
“We are concerned that the largest number of those not recommended (not approved) are artists who are seemingly in greater need of relief,” he says.
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