The South African Broadcasting Corporation says it will not lay off a third of its full-time employees as it had previously announced (STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)

Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa’s cash-strapped public broadcaster on Thursday announced it would drop plans to lay off a third of its full-time employees as it looks for other savings to cut mounting debts.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said the decision to not lay off staff was in the “interest of the SABC, its employees, key stakeholders and the South African public at large.”

The SABC’s financial troubles deepened during the tenure of its former chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, an ally of ex-president Jacob Zuma.

As a result of corruption and maladministration scandals, parliament has dissolved SABC’s board several times in recent years.

The company in November approached the labour arbitration agency to retrench 981 of its 3,370 staffers.

Another 1,200 of its 2,400 freelancers were also earmarked for dismissal.

“They are withdrawing the retrenchment plan,” Aubrey Tshabalala, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), told AFP.

SABC said an “skills audit” would be held to assess labour needs.

The country’s auditor-general Kimi Makwetu last year said the broadcaster, which has in recent years relied on government loans for its survival, was commercially insolvent.

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