The Department of Communications (DoC) together with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and Sentech have officially switched-on the Low Power Transmitter in Sannieshof, Tswaing Municipality in the North West Province.
This will ensure that approximately 35 000 community members in Sannieshof and the surrounding areas receive access to the SABC television and radio signal transmission. The initiative is the Department’s mandate to ensure access to information and communications technologies (ICT) to rural communities throughout the country. Sannieshof lies in the heart of a large maize producing region in the North West Province and is 120km from Mafikeng.
“For us, this event came at the right time when the world is about to witness one of the greatest sporting events, the 2011 Rugby World Cup, in New Zealand. As the public broadcaster we are delighted to play a pivotal role in making sure that we contribute to an informed society through our programming. We are proud to be the vehicle that ensures that our society is equipped with knowledge of what is happening around the world,’ said SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
This transmitter launch is part of a roll-out plan, which began in April 2008 to install approximately 300 low power transmitter sites throughout the country over a three-year period. Since its inception, communities such as Zeerust, Heunigsvlei, Indermark in Limpopo and Leeugamka in the Kgalagadi region in the Western Cape, have received access to programming in their preferred language of choice.
