“Moreover, it is completely at odds with an unspoken, but powerful tradition of the right of public access to football in South Africa. As the nation's premier and only public broadcaster, the SABC clearly cannot accept this situation,” said Funde in a statement issued to the press.
“Football in South Africa, unlike most countries in the world, has the significance as a sport ‘of national interest'. It is a force for social cohesion and immense national pride. Our public, especially poor communities, must have full access to watching and listening to professional football. This has been a right which the SABC has promoted on behalf of the nation for decades.”
The SABC board is calling upon the leadership of PSL to urgently meet with the SABC management team to negotiate a settlement to this dispute. “We fully support our management team in their efforts to represent the best interests of the public broadcaster. Whilst we are quite clear about our legal rights, and will vigorously protect the sanctity of our legal contract, the board wishes to see this matter amicably resolved such that the nation's only public broadcaster can exercise its constitutional mandate of promoting public access to sports.”
According to Funde, the SABC and the PSL have a joint and primary responsibility for promoting football in the collective interests of the nation. “We firmly believe that this common agenda is shared by both SABC and PSL. This alone should be a sufficient motivation for getting both parties together in earnest to seek a mutually-rewarding solution,” he said.
“The board also wishes to thank the South African public for its widespread and unprecedented support. Apart from countless individual voices, we have also been heartened by the vociferous support shown by organisations such as the ANC, the SACP, COSATU, Concerned Artists, Communications' Workers Union, the Freedom of Expression Institute as well as important sections of the print media. This solidarity has been a clear message that professional football must be returned to the eyes and ears of the nation – the SABC,” concluded the statement.
