SABC defends axing of ‘Face the Nation’ over missing targets

2026-03-24 - 17:40

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has defended its decision to take its political talk show Face the Nation off air, revealing audience data that it underperformed with. The public broadcaster released the audience performance data for the show on Tuesday. This followed ongoing public discussion about the show’s cancellation. SABC takes ‘Face the Nation’ off air The news broke over the weekend that the SABC took Face the Nation off the air. Allegedly, politicians complained that host Clement Manyathela’s questions were too “harsh”. A claim denied by the presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya. Manyathela said management told him that the SABC could no longer afford to keep the show on air. This was despite it being a flagship programme. He also defended the show’s impact. He said it performed strongly, attracted high viewership, and remained committed to holding those in power accountable. The SABC’s average audience data for the show reveals that Face the Nation underperformed against the channel’s primetime target. This was between April 2025 and March 2026. Show fell below viewership benchmarks According to the public broadcaster, the talk show had an average of approximately 120 000 viewers. The SABC’s target is approximately 259 475 views, showing the show was below the slot benchmark. The average audience rating was approximately 0.1%, but the SABC’s target is 1%. In the total programme competitive ranking, it ranked at 42, and the broadcaster’s target is a top 30 benchmark. Picture: Screengrab of ‘Face the Nation’ audience performance data. “The programme’s average audience rating reflects a material and sustained underperformance against the channel’s primetime target. Comparative programmes in this time slot typically achieve share levels of approximately 1% to 2%,” the SABC said. The broadcaster’s spokesperson, Mmoni Ngubane, said the programme changes form part of a broader channel and schedule review. This review considered multiple factors, including audience performance data and content relevance. “It is important to emphasise that these decisions are not centred on any individual, but rather on the overall performance and strategic fit of programmes within the channel’s refreshed content approach,” Ngubane said in a statement. The SABC added that it operates in a competitive environment. Top-performing news programmes are live, rolling, and event-driven, and must balance their public service mandate with commercial sustainability. Broadcaster stresses no political interference The broadcaster said it changed its programming as part of a strategic realignment of its news portfolio and released the audience data to demonstrate transparency. “The corporation unequivocally confirms that this decision was free from any political interference and was guided strictly by internal editorial, strategic and performance criteria,” the SABC said. On Monday, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu denied interfering in the SABC’s editorial decisions, calling the allegations baseless. Meanwhile, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi said any suggestion of political pressure was concerning. He requested a full report from the broadcaster to clarify the reasons behind the show’s cancellation.