The SABC invested more than R700m in local content last year, according to a report. Communications minister Dina Pule released the figures on how much the SABC spent on local content in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Congress of the People MP Juli Killian.

It showed that documentaries, education and children’s programmes got the smallest amounts, The Star newspaper reported.

The SABC had awarded contracts worth R758m in 2012.

The biggest chunk was spent on drama shows (R282m), compared to sport (R114m), education (R57m) and children’s shows (R56m).

The Star reported that the South African Screen Federation recently threatened the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa with legal action to force it to explain why it had not been monitoring the SABC’s local programming content.

The federation said a lack of monitoring had “resulted in an increasing reliance on the same recycled, mostly American series”, and “a dramatic increase in repeats of local series and films dating back 10 years”. — Sapa