Fear and apprehension have gripped the hallways of independent broadcaster eNCA after its parent company, eMedia Holdings, announced retrenchments as it restructures news and technical operations. One-hundred and seventy-one newsroom employees stand to lose their jobs in the proposed restructuring.
An insider who has spent nearly two decades at the broadcaster told Sunday World that the possibility of being jobless has turned a workplace he once regarded as a “home away from home” into a source of anxiety and trepidation.
“It’s very scary and worrying as to how I’d fulfil my obligations, bond, vehicle payments, school fees and everything else. It makes one somehow depressed. What the hell do I do from here?”
eMedia says the restructuring is intended to create a more integrated, multiplatform newsroom, with employees expected to work across television, digital and emerging platforms.
“The current structure and staff complement does not adequately support a modern, multiplatform broadcasting environment,” the company said in its correspondence to staff.
The proposed changes affect news, technical operations and broad- cast operations. The employee, who asked not to be named, said the announcement had come as a shock.
The JSE-listed firm is primarily owned by Hosken Consolidated Investments, whose majority shareholder is the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union. It operates e-tv, South Africa’s first free-to-air TV station; 24-hour news channel eNCA; and youth radio station Yfm. It also owns the direct-to-home Openview platform, Platco Digital, and e-VOD, a video-on-demand streaming service.
Its production facilities include Cape Town Film Studios and Sasani Studios in Johannesburg. Its investment in VRtuosus, a virtual production facility, is said to have contributed to a knock in revenue.
According to its 2026 results, e-Media Holdings reported a 6.1% decline in advertising revenue, from R2.4-billion to R2.2-billion, and a 1.9% decline in other revenue to R744.3-million.
It reported a 7.4% reduction in earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation, or core profit, to R513-million, while profit after tax contracted by 2% to R299.4-million. However, the company’s executive and non-executive directors took home generous pay packages.
CEO Khalik Sheriff was paid R19-million, including a R10-million bonus. Non-executive chairperson John Copelyn, who is also chairperson of parent company HCI Holdings, walked away with R21.7-million, including a R3.6-million bonus. Financial director Antonio Lee, took home R12.6-million, inclusive of a R5.7-million bonus. Among other highly paid non-executive directors was Yunus Shaik who received R11.2-million, including a R1.6-million bonus.
The insider says the retrenchment announcement has severely affected morale. Although he acknowledged that some skills streamlining might be necessary, he questioned whether the scale of the proposed changes was justified.
“From my point of view, some roles are duplicated but to restructure to this extent just doesn’t make any sense, unless we’re not being told the true picture.”
Another concern is the proposed move towards more multiskilling and how employees will be assessed for new roles.
The insider believes the timeframe could disadvantage workers who need more time to adapt to changing responsibilities.
According to the notice, the consultation process is expected to conclude by November 30, with any retrenchments, if ultimately implemented, taking effect from December 1.
The insider also questioned how the consultation process could work alongside the deadlines outlined by the company.
“We were told that if concessions had not been reached, the process would be incomplete. If this is the case, how do we have timelines in place?”
The company’s notice does, however, state that “no final decision has yet been taken in this regard” and that employees will be consulted before any final decision is reached.
The company’s Section 189A notice states that the parties “may request the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) to appoint a facilitator within 15 days of this notice” to assist the parties as they discuss possible alternatives to retrenchments, selection criteria and other aspects of the proposed restructuring.
It has also proposed preferential consideration for re- employment for six months after termination, provided retrenched employees meet the requirements of available positions. It further proposed a severance package of 1.5 weeks’ remuneration for every completed year of service.
For employees facing the possibility of losing their jobs they have held for years, however, the support measures do little to erase the uncertainty surrounding their futures.
The employee said the consequences went far beyond losing a salary. “One cannot comprehend the human devastation that comes with going through a process like this. Not being able to provide for your family, the mental distress, and health anxiety — it can never be repaired.”
e-Media declined to comment on internal business operations.
- eMedia Holdings announced retrenchments affecting 171 newsroom employees as it restructures its news and technical operations.
- The restructuring aims to create a multiplatform newsroom with employees working across TV, digital, and emerging platforms.
- e-Media Holdings reported a 6.1% decline in advertising revenue to R2.2-billion and a 2% reduction in profit after tax to R299.4-million in its 2026 results.
- Despite financial declines, executives received large pay packages, including CEO Khalik Sheriff's R19-million compensation with a R10-million bonus.
- The company plans a consultation period ending November 30, with possible retrenchments starting December 1, and offers severance packages and preferential re-employment for six months.
