The basic salary paid out to former Sentech CEO Sebiletso Mokone-Matabane more than doubled between 2009 and 2010 — from R1,7m to R3,2m. This is in spite of the company’s steep financial decline over the past year, which has resulted in its auditors
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E.tv and M-Net plan to launch a trial of the upgraded European digital television standard, DVB-T2, in response the news that a pilot of the rival Brazilian and Japanese standard will soon get underway. The local broadcasters’ pilot will take place in Soweto. State-owned signal distributor, Sentech, is establishing test transmission sites to pilot digital terrestrial television broadcasts based on Brazilian and Japanese standards.
In a bid to curb its financial woes, state-owned signal distributor Sentech will start cutting off customers that don’t pay on time. Last week, TechCentral learnt Sentech was battling to get government institutions and community broadcast customers that owe it money to pay up. It is now owed a total of R30m.
State-owned broadcast signal distributor Sentech is establishing test transmission sites in order to pilot digital terrestrial television broadcasts based on Brazilian and Japanese standards. In an exclusive interview with TechCentral, Sentech chairman Quraysh Patel says the two countries, whose terrestrial broadcasting standards are similar, have asked to set up test broadcasts at their costs.
Sentech is dysfunctional. That’s the gloomy picture painted by the state-owned company’s board in a presentation it was meant to give to parliament last week. But the company was prevented from delivering the presentation, entitled “Strategic Plan 2010 – 2011” because it failed to supply supporting documentation, needed by members of parliament ahead of time, before the scheduled meeting.
State-owned signal distributor Sentech is in dire straits. A submission from the company’s board to parliament reveals its auditors are concerned about its ability to continue as a going concern. TechCentral is in possession of a strategic presentation the company was supposed to deliver to parliament on Tuesday this week in which it has revealed that its auditing firm — which it doesn’t name — has raised concerns about its financial standing.
Broadcast signal distributor Sentech received a hard rap across the knuckles from members of parliament’s communications portfolio committee on Tuesday for its late distribution of crucial documents. “This is disrespect of the highest order,” ANC MP Eric Kholwane said, after members heard an apology and explanation from Sentech board chairman Quraysh Patel for MPs only receiving copies of his organisation’s revised strategic plan that morning.
Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications called off a meeting it was due to hold with executives from dysfunctional state-owned signal distributor Sentech on Tuesday morning. Sentech flew four company members, including its chairman, Quraysh Patel, to Cape Town this week to present its turnaround strategy to the committee. However, Sentech’s “plan for sustainability” did not reach the parliamentarians until Tuesday morning, giving them no time to review the document ahead of the meeting.
Government remains committed to switching off analogue terrestrial television, and completing the switch to digital broadcasts, by November 2011. But communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda has conceded the deadline may have to be revisited if the country decides to adopt a new standard for digital television. Nyanda was speaking at a press conference in Pretoria, where he announced the new members of the Digital Dzonga advisory council, which will advise government on the country’s planned migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television.
Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications, chaired by ANC MP Ismail Vadi, has summoned the boards of the SABC and Sentech to answer questions about problems affecting both organisations. The committee on Thursday said it had “decided to invite the full board of the SABC to appear before it on 24 August 2010”.