On 3 October the ANC Youth League called for a meeting with the interim board of the SABC regarding the perceived lack of South African music aired across its stations.
The SABC has issued the following statement in response: “The SABC expressed its commitment to promoting South African music and musicians – and highlighted that it has consistently exceeded the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa quota of 40% local music content for public radio stations.
“The SABC further noted that many of its public service radio stations do air close to 70% local music content and several have exceeded this quota. However in this regard, the SABC has not made any final decision on implementing a quota of 70% local music content across its public broadcasting channels.
“The ANC Youth League further highlighted the need for the SABC to develop a music policy to guide its approach to South African music content. The interim board noted that a policy process, with participation from the music industry, had commenced under the previous board and that the SABC is committed to finalising this to meet its mandate of promoting South African music. It was noted that the interim board will ensure that the issues raised by the ANC Youth League are emphasised in its hand over to a new board.
“The SABC is committed to continue to strive to showcase South African music and musicians and to progressively air more local music content.”
