South Africa’s Auditor-General (AG) declares it’s doubtful that the country’s deteriorating public broadcaster can remain operational after the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) published another financial loss.
This time US$11 million for the financial year until the end of March 2022 and again caused millions to be lost in wasteful expenditure after buying content it never broadcasted, the AG reports.
According to Tsakani Maluleke, there is doubt over the SABC’s ability to continue operating in the foreseeable future despite the so-called “turnaround strategy” implemented by the SABC.
Maluleke stated that the AG’s office couldn’t obtain sufficient audit evidence that the SABC’s irregular expenditures for the previous financial years were accounted for.
“I was unable to determine whether any adjustment was necessary to the irregular expenditure disclosure stated at US$154 million,” she said.
According to Maluleke, the AG was also unable to get evidence that proper disciplinary steps were taken against staff responsible for irregular expenditure at the SABC in prior years.
Maluleke states that the SABC failed to take effective and appropriate steps to prevent wasteful expenditures amounting to US$551 200.
