Carrim happy to testify in MultiChoice probe

FORMER Communications Minister Yunus Carrim says he is willing to testify if approached by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) in its probe into MultiChoice.

Icasa will begin an investigation into alleged payments made by MultiChoice to ANN7 and the SABC. The probe follows a complaint lodged by the DA, after describing the transactions as a strategy to try to influence government policy on digital migration.

“It’s surprising Icasa has taken so long. There have been widespread allegations about this in many spheres for several years now.

“How can one company be allowed to dominate 98% of pay TV, charge so much for their services and exclude the vast majority of people from access?” he asked.

MultiChoice spokesperson Jackie Rakitla said the company had noted the developments and would wait to hear from Icasa.

MultiChoice is accused of giving R100 million to the SABC in exchange for the public’s broadcaster political influence over digital migration.

The pay TV company also allegedly made a questionable payment of R25m to the ANN7 news channel, then owned by the Gupta family. MultiChoice is also accused of increasing its annual payment to the channel from R50m to R141m in exchange for influence over the government’s position on the introduction of encrypted set-top boxes.

The payments are said to have occurred soon after the Gupta family lobbied President Jacob Zuma to transfer certain broadcasting powers to former communications minister Faith Muthambi.

MultiChoice is accused of trying to remain dominant in the pay TV market, leading to determination to reverse the government policy of encryption to ensure set-top boxes were unencrypted.

Meanwhile, Parliament’s communications portfolio committee is forging ahead with its inquiry into state capture, and in particular, allegations pertaining to Muthambi.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lechesa Tsenoli requested that an inquiry into state capture be scheduled as the first item on the committee’s agenda in 2018.

Chairperson of the committee Humphrey Maxegwana said: “There is no question about whether we are going to do it or not (the inquiry), the issue is how are we going to do it. I am seeking legal opinion regarding that and will present all that information to the committee meeting for adoption.”

When reports of an “irregular relationship” between MultiChoice and ANN7 surfaced, the pay TV company said it would investigate its total payments to ANN7 and concerns about corporate governance failures throughout its audit and risk committees. The company said yesterday it would make an announcement on the investigation soon.

The Guptas sold their shares in ANN7 and The New Age newspaper earlier in 2017 to Lodidox, owned by former government spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi, in a vendorfinanced deal.

Manyi told Independent Media yesterday that ANN7 would co-operate with any legal process.