Mandate

The main object of the Corporation is to supply broadcasting and information services and services that are ancillary thereto, to the general public in the Republic of South Africa and beyond its borders and to achieve the objectives as set out in the Broadcasting Act 4 of 1999, as amended, (‘Broadcasting Act’) in accordance with the objectives set out in the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act 153 of 1993, as amended, that are directly relevant to the Corporation.

The objectives of the Corporation are –

(a) to make its services available throughout the Republic;

(b) to provide sound and television broadcasting services, whether by analogue or digital means, and to provide sound and television programmes of information, education and entertainment funded by advertisements, subscription, sponsorship, licence fees or any other means of finance;

(c) to acquire from time to time a licence or licences for such period and subject to such regulations, provisions and licence conditions as may be prescribed by the Authority;

(d) to provide, in its public broadcasting services, radio and television programming that informs, educates and entertains;

(e) to be responsive to audience needs, including the needs of the deaf and the blind and account on how to meet those needs;

[Para. (e) substituted by s. 8 of Act 64/2002]

(f) to provide other services, whether or not broadcasting or programme supply services, such services being ancillary services;

(g) to provide television and radio programmes and any other material to be transmitted or distributed by the common carrier for free to air reception by the public subject to section 33 of this Act;

(h) to provide to other bodies by such means and methods as may be convenient, services, programmes and materials to be transmitted or distributed by such bodies and to receive from such other bodies services, programmes and materials to be transmitted by stations of the Corporation for reception as above;

(i) to commission, compile, prepare, edit, make, print, publish, issue, circulate and distribute, with or without charge, such books, magazines, periodicals, journals, printed matter, records, cassettes, compact disks, video tapes, audiovisual and interactive material, whether analogue or digital and whether on media now known or hereafter invented, as may be conducive to any of the

objects of the Corporation;

(j) to establish and maintain libraries and archives containing materials relevant to the objects of the Corporation and to make available to the public such libraries and archives with or without charge;

(k) to organise, present, produce, provide or subsidise concerts, shows, variety performances, revues, musical and other productions and performances and other entertainment whether live or recorded in connection with the broadcasting and programme supply services of the Corporation or for any purpose incidental thereto;

(l) to collect news and information in any part of the world and in any manner that may be thought fit and to establish and subscribe to news agencies;

(m) to carry out research and development work in relation to any technology relevant to the objects of the Corporation and to acquire by operation of law, registration, purchase, assignment, licence or otherwise copyright and designs, trade marks, trade names and any other intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights;

(n) to nurture South African talent and train people in production skills and carry out research and development for the benefit of audiences;

(o) to develop, produce, manufacture, purchase, acquire, use, display, sell, rent or dispose of sound recordings and films and materials and apparatus for use in connection with such sound recordings and films;

(p) to develop and extend the services of the Corporation beyond the borders of South Africa.

The full Act is available for download in our Downloadable Documents section