SABC chief executive Madoda Mxakwe is stepping down

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SABC group chief executive Madoda Mxakwe is leaving the public broadcaster as his five-year contract comes to an end.

The SABC board said Mxakwe would be replaced by Nada Wotshela, in an acting capacity, from 1 July until a permanent new chief executive was found.

Mxakwe joined the public broadcaster in 2018, when the SABC was grappling with governance failures, corruption, gross mismanagement and a financial crisis. He is the first SABC chief executive to complete his contract in more than 15 years. 

In its statement, the board admitted that the SABC was still experiencing “financial sustainability challenges” but added that Mxakwe and the management team “had worked closely with all employees and the board to reverse the dire situation, setting the public broadcaster on a recovery path and rebuilding its credibility”.

It said Wotshela was a seasoned broadcaster with more than 20 years of experience at the SABC, 12 of them in senior management and executive roles.

“She possesses both the technical knowledge and the leadership skills of public broadcasting and is currently serving as group executive for radio at the SABC,” the board said.

The SABC is just one of several companies operating under the auspices of the government which have been struggling to stay afloat. The public broadcaster has felt the pressure from changes in the market, shaped by more nimble private-sector players.

The SABC is operating at a loss of R608  million, by its own numbers, and according to its presentation to parliament last November, its net loss position is the result of underperforming advertising revenue, a symptom of declining audience numbers.Last month, Mxakwe told legislators that the broadcaster’s audience ratings had declined by about 40% because of the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, which has taken place in five provinces so far.