South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the lead public broadcasting service in South Africa, they currently have nineteen radio stations and five television stations that are broadcast via their service. However, to access SABC’s broadcast, you are required to pay a TV license fee, the fee is charged on an annual basis and the rate is set at R265. SABC has devised a more convenient way for customers to make payments as well as manage their accounts.
Payment for SABC for a house applies to all the televisions you own, as it is one payment per household. But the reverse is the case if you run an office or organization with a lot of televisions, you will be required to pay for each one. On the other hand, failure to make payment as at when due attracts its own consequences.
Different Payment Methods For SABC TV Licence
There are three main ways you can pay for your SABC TV license.
1. Paypoint
One of the ways to do it is at a Paypoint. SABC has created a number of pay points where South Africans can walk in and make payments. These Paypoint are over 10,000 in number and are in locations such as banks, Easypay outlets, the Post Offices, the SABC head office, and all of their branches. Payment methods differ at each Paypoint.
A bank is easier to locate and when you want to make payment for your SABC TV license at a bank, what you will need is your TV license account number and your statement.
You can walk up to the counter where you fill a payslip.
- Fill the account name on the payslip which is TV licenses,
- Followed by the name of the bank.
- Then the account number which is particular for the bank
- The branch number is also bank-specific and has to be put on the payslip.
- Finally, write down your reference number which is where you use your TV Licence account number.
These are the banks, account numbers, and branch numbers for each bank where you can pay your SABC license.
| Bank | Account Number | Branch Number |
| ABSA | 2840 000 241 | 632005 |
| FNB | 620 094 349 87 | 250 655 |
| Standard bank | 002 351 234 | 051 001 |
There is also the option of paying at the ATM machine of any of the above-mentioned banks as well as Nedbank.
Easypay Outlets for SABC payment are located at
- Pick n Pay Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, and Family Stores nationwide
- Woolworths
- Boxer Cash Carry
- Foodworld, Save world, and Hypersavers (in the Western Cape)
- Shoprite Checkers
- Lewis
You can find a SABC regional office at Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, East London, Kimberley, Limpopo, Kwazulu-Natal, and Gauteng. Just walk into any of these locations with your SABC TV license account number.
2. Fast Pay
In 2017, SABC launched a new payment method that required users to pay for the TV licenses on the SABC website – this is the Fast Pay option. What you have to do is visit the SABC website; www.tvlic.co.za. Once you’re there, scroll down and you will see the available payment methods; click on the “Pay Now” button.
You will be redirected to a payment portal where you have to input either your TV license account number or ID number. After this, you will be redirected to a payment portal where you’ll find a payment page.
3. Payment By Debit Order
The third method of payment is the Debit Order. This method of payment is for people who would like to schedule their payment for a specific date. To make a debit order payment for your SABC TV license;
- Visit the SABC website where you will find the Debit order form.
- Download the form on your computer.
- Go ahead to print it out then fill it.
- After all of this is done, fax the form back to (011) 330-9560/1.
This payment method is great for recurring payments-especially if you chose to make your payments every month. Once the debit order has been set up your payments for the duration provided by you is all taken care of. In the event that you change the bank details for repayment all you need to do is call SABC and notify them of the change.
Penalties for SABC TV License Payment Default
The SABC is an organization that is currently experiencing a high rate of payment defaults and as the years go by, these default rates are only increasing. In 2019, only 31% of the country’s population paid for their SABC TV license and in 2020 this number dropped to 24%. The drop in 2020, could be partly the fault of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown that happened in countries across the world including South Africa which had one of the longest lockdowns in Africa. Regardless of this, there are strict penalties for not making payment.
Late payment of your SABC TV license attracts a 10% penalty fee that is applied every month. This rate can get up to 100% per annum. Then your debt portfolio will be assigned to one of the debt collection agencies (DCAs)that work with SABC. The agencies place calls to defaulters and encourage them to make their payments.
Failure to still make payment after being contacted by a DCA comes with legal implications where you can be charged to court for not making your payment. You can be made to pay a fine of R500 or be imprisoned for up to six months. In some cases, the two punishments will be applied to you. The legality of this exists because using and paying for the SABC license is stipulated by law and failure to do this is akin to breaking the law.
SABC Debt Collection Agencies
For the effective collection of payments, the SABC decided to enlist the services of five debt collection agencies whose jobs are to call those who are yet to pay for their TV licenses. The five debt collections agencies that work with the SABC are:
- Anthony Richards & Associates Pty Ltd
- Khumalo Masondo Incorporated
- Asili Risk Management Pty Ltd
- Revenue Consulting Pty Ltd
- Hahn Collections Pty Ltd
These agencies are known to not only place calls to the debtors and payment defaulters but they go ahead to contact employers as well.