SABC confirms car radio licence 'press statement' is fake
False information that the SABC has introduced an annual SABC car radio licence fee of R401 which comes with a penalty fine of R750 or 90 days in jail, is devoid of any truth and has been denied by the South African public broadcaster.
On social media on Monday, South African users started circulating a "press statement" claiming that the SABC was "pleased to announce the introduction of the new SABC car radio licence".
The fake one-page press statement was created using the real SABC logo and a SABC spokesperson's name and contact details.
The fake statement said that since "the SABC has seen a dramatic decline in TV licence revenue due to streaming services such as Netflix becoming ever more popular, we as the SABC, therefore, had to look at new revenue streams".
Mmoni Seapolelo, the SABC spokesperson whose name was used in the fake press statement, told News24 that no radio licence has been or will be introduced.
"The SABC would like to alert the public of a fake media statement which is circulating on various social media platforms titled 'Introduction of radio licences as part of SABC's drive to generate revenue'. The SABC has not issued any media statement making such public pronouncements regarding licences for car radios."
-- SABC spokesperson Mmoni Seapolelo.
Tellingly, the fake statement said that a SABC car radio licence would cost R401 per year - more expensive than the R265 of a SABC TV licence.
Radio licences were first issued in South Africa in 1924, but the practice was abandoned decades ago in favour of a general SABC TV Licence.
Instead of introducing a new licence like a car radio licence, the SABC is currently working with the Department of Communications to do away with the SABC TV licence fee with plans to replace it with a new tax in the form of a household levy, which will be collected to fund public broadcasting in the country.
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