Khuselo Diko, ANC NEC member and MP, is Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies.
Image: File picture: X/@MYANC
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies chairperson, Khusela Diko, has confirmed that she owes the SABC TV Licence fees.
This was revealed after she responded to a post from the SABC after it decided to axe the show, Face the Nation, hosted by veteran broadcaster Clement Manyathela.
The cancellation of the show has triggered a political storm, with opposition parties and civil society groups accusing the SABC of bowing to political pressure. However, the Presidency has strongly denied the claims.
In a repost of comment by the SABC on X (formerly Twitter), Diko said on Tuesday: “No up-to-date licence, no comment. Hence, I reserve my comment. I am still trying to catch up on the amounts I owe. [sic]”
According to MyBroadband, Non-payment of TV licence fees has been a thorn in the SABC’s side for several years, with defaulting rates increasing from 69% in 2019 to 86% in 2024. The figure improved slightly to 85% in 2025, but the unpaid fees translated to a loss of nearly R4.2 billion in TV licence revenue.
The annual fee for a TV licence is R265.
In her position as chairperson of the portfolio committee, Diko earns over R1.7 million per annum.
Since Diko outed herself for owing TV licence fees, she has since had a change of heart and again took to X to officially urge her followers to ‘pay TV licence’.
Diko said she, like most South Africans, owed the SABC and stated everyone needed to do ‘do right by them’.
She stated she had been in constant communication with the SABC to resolve her failure to make payments, but was told her debt is over R10 000.
“I am told I have a debt of over R10k, which just does not make sense to me since the licence is R265 per annum. I’ve paid R3k of it to date and am still hoping for a resolution #PayYourTVLicence it’s the right thing to do [sic],” she wrote.