State funding for SABC minimal
According to figures supplied to the Media Institute of SA by Dr Ihron Rensburg, SABC Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, the SABC only receives R40 million in government funding, which is only about 1% of its operating budget of R2.5 billion. Licence fees account for 16% of the budget, while advertising revenue makes up the bulk of 83%, or R1.7 million. Dr Rensburg says that in order for the SABC to fulfil its public service mandate, which includes programming on two channels in 11 languages, the SABC would have to deliver audiences to attract more commercial revenue, which in turn would "make the SABC look less like a public broadcaster".