If you were hoping the TV licence would vanish any day now, I’d get comfortable. Government now says the final SABC Bill might only reach Parliament somewhere between April 2027 and March 2028. And while everyone waits, the public broadcaster still has no clear way to pay its bills.
What the minister has said
The timeline came from Communications Minister Solly Malatsi, who was answering a question in Parliament. His department wants a revised sustainable funding model ready by March 2027. Only once that’s done will the final bill be sent to lawmakers.
So the law itself is still a fair distance away. Until Parliament agrees on something new, the TV licence stays exactly where it is.
It also looks like the goalposts have shifted. Back in January 2026, the minister said the revised bill, with the new funding model built in, would be worked on during the 2026/27 financial year. The latest dates push that later.
Why the SABC needs a new model
The problem is simple to explain. Hardly anyone pays.
Only 15% of TV licence holders paid up in the 2024/25 financial year. Across the six years to 2024/25, the SABC lost around R22.8 billion in revenue. A licence costs R265 a year, yet most of that money never reaches the broadcaster.
On paper, paying isn’t optional. Section 27 of the Broadcasting Act says licence fees must be paid, and South Africa TV licence penalties are meant to back that up. But the threat hasn’t scared many people. The number of households dodging the fee keeps growing, and enforcement hasn’t kept pace.
The SABC has also pointed out that a lot of licences are old ones. A family buys a new TV and keeps using a licence someone already holds, so no new one is ever taken out. Young people moving into their own place often don’t get one either. The same small group keeps paying, and it isn’t getting any bigger.
A quick look at the numbers
Here’s the main information in one place, so it’s easy to compare.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Target for new funding model | March 2027 |
| Final SABC Bill to Parliament | April 2027 to March 2028 |
| TV licence holders who paid in 2024/25 | 15% |
| Lost revenue over six years to 2024/25 | R22.8 billion |
| Government allocation over three years | R728.8 million |
| SABC+ payment pilot cost | R2.5 million |
Money from government, and what was turned down
The SABC has been given R728.8 million under the current three year spending framework. That sounds like plenty, but it barely dents the gap left by unpaid licences.
Then there’s signal distribution. The SABC asked for extra money to cover it and was turned down. It was told not to include that funding in its budget.
That matters more than it sounds. Signal distribution is what actually gets SABC channels onto screens across the country, and it costs real money. If nobody funds it separately, the broadcaster has to find the cash from its own shrinking income, all while trying to serve every South African.
The SABC+ pilot
The SABC has been trying a few fresh ideas of its own. One was a gamification pilot on its SABC+ platform, designed to nudge viewers into paying their licence by making it feel a bit like a game.
It cost R2.5 million. How many people it actually brought in isn’t clear, because that wasn’t part of the figures shared. Still, it shows the SABC is experimenting while the bigger reform sits on paper.
What went wrong with the earlier bill
This isn’t the first try at fixing the problem. Malatsi pulled the earlier SABC Bill out of Parliament in 2024, saying it didn’t properly deal with a sustainable funding model.
Since then, the department has said the biggest headache is that the SABC has no workable way to fund itself, and years of poor licence collection have made it worse. The department has also been helping the SABC chase unpaid fees owed by government departments and local authorities.
Plenty of ideas for replacing the licence have floated around. Media reports have mentioned a levy on streaming services, a household levy and direct government funding. None has been chosen, so treat them as ideas on the table, not decisions.
What it means for you
For most households, the message is short: nothing changes today.
The licence system is still the law. If you own a TV, the rules you already know still apply until Parliament passes something different. That includes South Africa TV licence penalties for anyone who doesn’t pay. There’s no official replacement yet, so there’s no new fee or levy to get ready for.
What you can do is keep an eye on developments. Once the funding model is final, the details should be made public. After that, the bill still has to go through Parliament, and that’s usually when ordinary people get the chance to comment.
For updates, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies website is a good place to start. The Parliament of South Africa website also lists bills and committee meetings, so you can check where the SABC Bill stands at any time.
Why this matters beyond the SABC
This goes further than one broadcaster. Public media is meant to be there for everyone, including people who can’t afford pay TV. News, education programmes, local drama and sport on free to air channels all depend on steady funding.
If the SABC keeps losing billions, it will struggle to back local content or keep its transmission network running. Government has chosen to sort out the funding model first and write the law afterwards. That order makes sense, but it also means the big question of who pays, and how much, stays unanswered for now.
The road ahead
A few dates are worth remembering over the next two years. March 2027 is the target for the new funding model. After that comes the window from April 2027 to March 2028 for the final SABC Bill to reach Parliament. Somewhere along the way, a decision is also needed on how signal distribution will be paid for.
Dates like these can slip again. The move from the earlier 2026/27 plan to the current one shows how easily that happens.
Final word
Replacing the TV licence is going to be slow, and nobody can say yet what will take its place. Government has given clear dates, but they run well into 2028. Until then, the SABC has to cope with low payment rates, a tight budget and no extra money for signal distribution.
For viewers, the best move is to stay informed, follow the official updates and wait for the final details before assuming anything.
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