22 October 2020

The South African Communist Party (SACP) pledges its solidarity with the workers and denounces the intransigent retrenchments pushed at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) by the powers that be. The SABC must produce a plan to avoid retrenchments. More often than not retrenchments affect the downtrodden, while those accounting for massive perks at the top continue to be all smiles. The public broadcaster has to be transparent about its entire cost structure, including the impact of outsourcing, out-contracting, contracts, tenders or tenderisation for public scrutiny. Also, the SABC has to convince the nation why it vehemently believes it is not unfair to push retrenchments while maintaining practices such as having appointees with over one job and in certain cases simultaneously as permanent employees and freelancers at the public broadcaster.

The deepening and widening digital industrial revolution requires a public broadcaster able to innovate, diversify, expand and contribute to employment creation. The jobs bloodbath confirmed by the Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) through its recently released Quarterly Labour Force Survey still weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the affected workers, their dependents, communities and the working-class—2.2 million workers lost their jobs in three months only from April to June 2020 under the difficult coronavirus pandemic conditions. The SABC’s insistence to retrench hundreds of workers will add to the worsening crisis-high unemployment in South Africa.

StatsSA is yet to release its Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter of this year, covering the months of July, August and September. However, all indications are that our unemployment situation has worsened because of retrenchments. In the first quarter, South Africa had a population of approximately 10.8 million unemployed people, according to the expanded definition of unemployment covering discouraged work-seekers. It should be noted with deep concern that the number of unemployed people in South Africa is greater than the total populations of many world countries. Our unemployment situation together with mass poverty and inequality is a national disaster with far-reaching consequences if not radically reduced and eventually resolved.

Humiliation of Palesa Chubisi

The SACP condemns the humiliation at the SABC of Palesa Chubisi on Monday, 19 October 2020 by the powers that be. The Public Protector’s June 2020 report covering allegations of irregular filling of positions at the SABC did not give any person an illegal power to violate Palesa’s constitutional right to dignity and probably certain labour rights under the pretext of implementing remedial action. While on air broadcasting SA Today, Palesa received an email instructing her to leave in the middle of the show. This cruelty to a human and indignity must not be condoned. There are many human rights-based and civilised ways to take appropriate remedial action, as opposed to a display of managerial arrogance. All the affected workers must be treated with dignity and respect. The SACP will look into this matter further and engage with the labour movement.