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WHAT IS HAPPENING AT SWAZI TV?

05/04/2018 07:09:00 By vusi Kunene

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WHAT is happening with the Swaziland Television Authority? The minister of ICT is at loggerheads with the Board. This is a Board that he also assisted or took part in its selection, if I may add. There is a problem with the appointment of the CEO of the parastatal. The Board and the minister are not in agreement with the procedure in the appointment.

There is just a blame game that is going on between the parties and the ‘former’ CEO is also cited and one is not sure of what is happening. Parliament is also in the mix and this is confusing.
It’s always said where there is work, there is bound to be commotion and it is good. It’s said people are not at work to make friends but to deliver. Such disagreements also help stop those involved from colluding to the detriment of the institution. But sometimes that is counter-productive as there are times where all need to pull in the same direction for progress to be realised.

What is also worrisome is that the disagreements seem to be more personal or for personal gains than the progress of the television station. I am further of the view that there are laws and procedures that are to be followed in whatever is to be done. It is those laws and procedures that have to be followed to stop this madness. Those with authority to act should do so and if they are not capable, they must face disciplinary actions for failure to do their jobs and be fired. New blood that is capable of doing the job should be brought in.

This television station is the only one in the country and is only in competition with a small Channel Swazi. That means it should be striving as there is little competition but that is not the case.
If Channel Swazi strives with no subvention from government, what is it that Swazi TV is not doing right yet it gets some cash injection from government? Is the in-fighting not one of the causes? If it is not the cause, it also contributes to the faltering of the station. If its only competitor is not collecting taxes from people of this country, why is it failing?

Having mentioned the issue of collecting taxes through TV licences, why is it that the collection of licence fees was out-sourced to a private entity? Is this the best option there was for the collection of the fees?
How much will be paid to the private entity? Was that money not to be used to better the programmes at the TV station instead of paying this entity? I am of the view that the issue of paying TV licences is provided for by law in the country and, therefore, anyone who is not paying for his or her TV licence is in breach of the law and punishable by our courts. If that is the case, we have law enforcement agencies in this country that are State owned and should be utilised to ensure that TV licences are paid for. I was surprised that the private entity contracted to ensure compliance was accompanied by police officers to help them carry out their job.

What a waste of the taxpayers’ money. The police service can easily apprehend any person who is in breach of any law of the country without the assistance of any entity.
If there is a problem with the law, the best option would be to amend that law so that it allows police to do the arrests. I am of the view that the entity wanted the assistance of the police because it knew that it had no powers to arrest and, therefore, would need the police to do that.

Then why not allow the police to do the whole thing. If the police do have power and allowed by law to demand that a driver should carry and produce his licence whenever he is driving, then they can also have power to demand anyone with a TV set to produce his or her TV licence.

Why are people not paying for their TV licences? Is it because Swazis do not want to pay? The answer I got from speaking to various people was that they saw no reason because they did not watch Swazi TV. The law states that one does not pay for watching but for owning a TV set.

But from the responses, it meant that people would gladly pay for their TV licences without being followed if Swazi TV was giving them programmes they wanted to watch. That would save all the expenses for collecting licence fees. It is not surprising though because the station’s leaders are at each other’s throats and fighting among themselves instead of improving the entity.