The SABC spent R2.5-million from the office of its group chief executive on a “Gamification Proof of Concept” for its streaming platform SABC Plus in the 2025/26 financial year, an expenditure that does not appear as a separate amount in the budget column of figures supplied to Parliament.
The disclosure is contained in a written reply to parliamentary question 4840, signed by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi on 14 September 2026.
DA MP Tsholofelo Katlego Bodlani had asked for a detailed cost breakdown of the R15-million allocated to strategic initiatives in the office of the SABC chief executive for 2025/26.
The department, relaying the SABC’s response, reported total spending of R9,871,666.54 against the R15-million allocation, leaving R5,128,333.46 unspent.
The spending was accounted for in two lines. R7,371,666.54 went to Strategic Support Services, while a further R2.5-million was spent on the gamification proof of concept.
The budget column shows a single figure of R15-million against Strategic Support Services, with no separate amount listed for gamification.
The response does not explain how the R2.5-million expenditure was reflected in the approved budget, who was paid, what was procured or how the work was awarded.
Asked whether the unspent balance would be redirected to other programmes, the SABC said it would not.
The broadcaster said the money “was surrendered to the general fund, in accordance with the applicable financial management requirements”.
Gamification is not a new item on the SABC’s agenda.
Group executive for technology Dr Vuyo Nyembezi told the Microsoft AI Tour in Johannesburg in early 2026 that gamification was the next major enhancement planned for SABC Plus.
He described it as a “game-changer” and said quizzes, games, rewards and leaderboards would be added to the platform by the end of February.
SABC group chief executive Nomsa Chabeli also told Parliament on 26 June 2026 that the broadcaster had launched a gamification pilot on SABC Plus.
“We launched a gamification pilot project. It’s on SABC Plus, and it’s also to help us get users, but also retain users,” she said.
“Importantly, we’re using gamification to assist in the payment of licensing,” Chabeli said.
SABC Plus reached two million registered users by February 2026, having added about 111,000 registrations a month over the preceding nine months.
By June, Chabeli told Parliament that the platform had reached 2.15 million registered users, exceeding its annual target of 1.4 million.
The growth came as the SABC faced continuing financial pressure.
The corporation reported a net loss of R253.3-million for the 2024/25 financial year, compared with R197.8-million the previous year. Its annual report said revenue growth of 1.3% was outpaced by a 3% increase in expenditure.
The parliamentary response does not establish whether the R2.5-million gamification proof of concept has generated additional TV-licence revenue, new registrations or improved user retention that can be attributed to the project.
Bodlani’s third question asked what impact the strategic initiatives had and what metrics were used to assess them.
The response names no specific metrics and reports no quantified results.
Instead, it says the initiatives “have strengthened the SABC’s strategic planning, performance management and organisational alignment”, improved coordination between the executive committee and business units, and supported “greater accountability for organisational performance”.
The SABC said the impact is assessed through progress against agreed targets, deliverables and milestones monitored through existing governance processes.
A formal review of the strategic initiatives programme is scheduled for the end of the third quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
The minister said whether the allocation continues beyond the current financial year will be guided by “demonstrated value for money” and the corporation’s overall financial position.
