For a second consecutive year, the Auditor-General of South Africa has issued an unqualified audit opinion on the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025
The SABC’s audited annual report has had several key achievements, that include TV licence revenue growth by 10% year-on-year, compared to a 7% decline in the prior year.
This growth was supported by improved performance from debt collection agencies, the onboarding of additional agencies, and stronger renewal and GIS collections.
It may be difficult to get people to pay for TV licenses, especially those who purchase new devices, but it seems strides are being made.
SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli, previously briefed the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on its audit outcomes and financial performance and reported that less than 20% of South African households are paying their TV licence fees.
There may be an ongoing public debate on whether TV licences should be paid or not, but there are people who are complying.
The SABC has previously called on South Africans to pay their TV licences. In the 2023/2024 financial year, the broadcaster faced a decline in TV licence fee revenue.
According to the SABC Annual Report for 2023/2024, the public broadcaster collected over R686 million in TV licence fees in the past financial year, although total TV licence debt still amounted to over R4.8 billion.
The public broadcaster noted that its non-compliance rate increased to 85.6% in 2024.The Public Commercial Services operation recorded a 9.63% revenue growth, outperforming the market and generating a profit before interest and tax of R145m.
However, the SABC noted the substantial cost of delivering the public mandate continues to weigh heavily on the organisation, in the absence of government funding for the public mandate and the crafting of an appropriate funding model.
Chabeli, shared, “Receiving an unqualified audit opinion for two consecutive years is a clear indication that the SABC is on the right path to restoring stability, embedding strong governance, and fulfilling its public mandate.”
The SABC recorded a net loss of R253.3million for the financial year 2025, compared to R197.8m in financial year 2024, as modest total revenue growth of 1.3% was outpaced by a 3% rise in expenditure. This resulted in a 4.9% decline in net margin.
“We remain committed to ensuring the SABC is sustainable, trusted, and continues to serve the people of South Africa.”
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