I-Competition Tribunal iyasichitha isicelo se-MultiChoice ehlukile embangweni wokuhlanganisa i-SABC

I-Competition Tribunal (“Tribunal”) isichithile isicelo esikhethekile esilethwe ngabakwaMultiChoice (Pty) Ltd (“MultiChoice”) odabeni oluthinta izinsolo zokuhlangana kweMultiChoice neSouth African Broadcasting Corporation (SOC) Ltd (“SABC”).

Icala livela esikhalazweni esifakwe yi-Caxton kanye ne-CTP Publishers and Printers Limited, i-S.O.S Support Public Broadcasting Coalition kanye ne-Media Monitoring Project Benefit Trust (“abafake izicelo”). Abafakizicelo basola ukuthi iSivumelwano Sezentengiselwano Nezokusakaza Kwesiteshi Esiyi-Master (“isivumelwano”), esaphethwa phakathi kweMultiChoice ne-SABC ngo-2013, sahlanganisa ukuhlanganiswa okungaziwa ngaphansi koMthetho Wokuncintisana (“Umthetho”), nokuthi izinhlangothi zehlulekile ukwazisa Ikhomishini Yezokuncintisana (“Ikhomishini”) njengoba kudingwa uMthetho.

Ngokwesivumelwano, i-SABC yavuma ukuvumela iMultiChoice ukuthi ithwale iziteshi zayo ezisakazwa mahhala ezingabhalwanga ezinkundleni zokubhalisela iMultiChoice, okungukuthi i-M-Net, ukuze ikhokhe, nesigatshana esivumela iMultiChoice ukuthi inqamule noma imise isivumelwano futhi ifune ukubuyiselwa imali uma i-SABC ibhala ngokuyimfihlo iziteshi zayo ezisakazwa mahhala.

Umongo

NgoFebhuwari 2015, abafake izicelo baya kwi-Tribunal ukuze bakhiphe umyalelo wokuphoqa i-MultiChoice ne-SABC ukuba yazise ngesivumelwano sokuhlangana. IMultiChoice kanye neSABC basiphikisa lesi sicelo. I-Tribunal yasichitha isicelo ngo-February 2016, ithola ukuthi abafake izicelo abazange babonise ukuthi isivumelwano sihlanganisa ukuhlanganiswa okungaziwa. Abafakizicelo badlulisela icala eNkantolo Yokudluliswa Kwamacala Ezincintisanayo (“CAC”) okwathi, ngokusekelwe ebufakazini obukhona ngaleso sikhathi, yasisekela isinqumo seNkantolo Yobulungisa ngo-June 2016, kodwa yayala abathintekayo ukuba banikeze yonke imibhalo ehlobene neKhomishana ukuze iphenywe futhi ibike lokho ekukutholile eNkantolo Yobulungisa.

Ngesikhathi sophenyo, kwaqubuka ingxabano mayelana namandla okubizela eKhomishini. NgoSepthemba 2018, iNkantolo Yomthethosisekelo yaqinisekisa ilungelo leKhomishana lokusebenzisa amandla ayo okuphenya aphelele. IKhomishana icubungule imiqulu ethunyelwe ngabakwaMultiChoice kanye ne-SABC yase iphenya ngofakazi be-SABC nabakwaMultiChoice. IKhomishana yaphothula uphenyo lwayo, kwathi ngoLwezi wezi-2018, yathumela umbiko esiGungwini esiphetha ngokuthi isivumelwano senza iMultiChoice ibe nomthelela endleleni yamasu e-SABC, ngaleyo ndlela kube ukuhlangana okubonakalayo.

I-Tribunal ibe isicela i-afidavithi yokwengeza kuKhomishana. Lokhu kwafakwa ngo-Ephreli 2021 futhi kwaqinisekisa ukutholwa kweKhomishana ngokuhlanganiswa okwaziswayo. Ephendula, abakwaMultiChoice bafake isicelo esikhethekile esicela i-Tribunal ukuba:

  • amemezele ukuthi amaqiniso ethulwe yiKhomishana kanye nabafake izicelo awakona ukuhlangana ngaphansi kwesigaba 12(2)(g) soMthetho; futhi
  • chitha isicelo esiyinhloko ngaleso sisekelo.

Ngemuva kokulalelwa kwecala, i-Tribunal isichithile isicelo sakwaMultiChoice.

I-Tribunal ithole kanje: “Asigculisekile ukuthi kukho konke ukufundwa kwamaqiniso njengoba kubalulwe ezincwadini ezifungelwe zeKhomishana, uMbiko wayo, kanye nezincwadi ezifungelwe zikaCaxton, Media Monitoring kanye ne-S.O.S, ukuthi asikho isizathu sokuthatha isinyathelo esiveziwe sokuthi ukuphothulwa kweSivumelwano kunikeza i-Multichoice amandla okuba nomthelela kumgomo we-SABC uma ngabe usungula i-SABC. 12(2)(g) soMthetho”.

Udaba olubalulekile, ukuthi ngabe ukuphothulwa kwesivumelwano kudale ukuhlanganiswa ngokwesigaba 12(2)(g) soMthetho, okufanele kubhekwe ngendlela ebanzi (ngokwesiqondiso se-CAC ekwahluleleni kwayo), iphakamisa izindaba eziyinkimbinkimbi zako kokubili amaqiniso nomthetho futhi ekugcineni kube nomthelela ekuqhudelaneni kwezimakethe ezifanele kanye nezigidi zabathengi baseNingizimu Afrika. Amaqiniso amaningi okuphikiswana ngawo kulolu daba ahlobene nokulawula ngokwesigaba 12(2)(g) soMthetho, ngokombono weSigungu sokulalela, awakufanelekeli ukunqunywa ngokuhlukile futhi anganqunywa kuphela esimweni sawo esifanele ngokulalelwa kobufakazi bomlomo.

I-Tribunal yaqaphela ukuthi kufanele kube nentshisekelo yomphakathi ukuthi ukuthengiselana okubandakanya umsakazi womphakathi kubhekwe ngokucatshangelwa okukhethekile kwenhloso yoMthetho. I-Tribunal iphinde yaphawula ukuthi ngeke kulunge ukwamukela isicelo sokwehluka njengoba izobe iphuma emyalelweni we-CAC, ofundwa kumongo wesinqumo se-CAC, kanye nesinqumo nesinqumo seNkantolo yoMthethosisekelo, eyayalela i-Tribunal ukuthi iphinde ilalele lolu daba, isebenzisa amandla ayo okuphenya. Kulezi zimo, isicelo esihlukile se-MultiChoice siyachithwa. Isicelo esikhulu sizoqhubeka nokulalelwa mayelana nokufaneleka kwaso ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.

Izizathu ze-Tribunal ngesinqumo sayo zizotholakala esidlangalaleni ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uma noma yiziphi izimangalo eziyimfihlo zezinhlangothi sezihloliwe futhi ziphothulwe.

Kukhishwe ngu:

Gillian de Gouveia, Umphathi Wezokuxhumana

Egameni leCompetition Tribunal yaseNingizimu Afrika

Iseli: +27 (0) 82 410 1195

I-imeyili: GillianD@comptrib.co.za

Twitter: @comptrib

Emuva kokukhishwa kwemidiya