Poor households can apply for digital TV decoders
The total income for the household must not be more than R3 200 per month.
Qualifying households in Gauteng (with an income of R3 200 or less and a working television set) can register at their local Post Office for a subsidised digital television decoder.
Registrations opened on September 1.
Television viewers will need a digital decoder (commonly called a set-top box) to watch television in areas where transmission has switched over to digital television signals.
However, households that already have a satellite subscription television service will not need a decoder.
To qualify for a decoder, an applicant must be a South African citizen and the household must have a working television set. The total income for the household must not be more than R3 200 per month.
Paul Fouché, Post Office regional manager for the Witwatersrand, says applicants will need a copy of their identity document, proof of residence, proof of income and an affidavit to confirm that they have a television set when they apply.
Fouché said there are 327 post office branches in Gauteng alone – wherever you live, there is a post office close by.
The Post Office coordinates the installation of the decoder and antenna. Local contractors will be enlisted to do the installation, thus boosting the local economy.
Fouché said it would be wise to apply as soon as possible to avoid a last-minute rush.
The project to provide free digital decoders to poorer households is run by the Department of Communications. The Post Office has been tasked with coordinating the application and installation processes, as it is the only governmental organisation that has branches everywhere, as well as computers that can handle the application processes for the decoders
The Constitution states that all South Africans have a right to information. The government is responsible for creating platforms for broadcasting to give people access to radio and television. This puts the liability on the government to also provide this access for less fortunate people (which is why the SABC channels are accessible to all, even those without satellite decoders – it’s the government’s broadcaster).
According to international telecommunication regulations, South Africa was supposed to have implemented digital television in 2015 already. Digital television has no ‘white noise’ or interruptions from other channels, the sound and visual quality is much better, and it requires less bandwidth.
For more information, visit www.doc.gov.za and click on ‘Go Digital SA’ at the bottom of the page.
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