SCORES: Individual scores: 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1 Average score: 1.4 (2005 = 1.5) 3.8 The public broadcaster is adequately funded in a manner that protects it from arbitrary interference with its budget. ANALYSIS: The funding NBC receives from government is not adequate. In her budget speech the Minister of Information and Broadcasting threatened to curtail funding for the NBC even more. She also recently announced that the state broadcaster is in debt to the tune of N$200 million. It is questionable why the NBC should be in such financial trouble, since it receives at least N$60 million a year from government in addition to license fees and advertising revenue. Since its infrastructure is established and salaries for its 383 full-time employees cost about N$37 million a year, its only expenditure is for purchasing programming and depreciation. Notably, during the Parliamentary budget debate, SWAPO MPs spelled out that because the NBC is state-funded it must promote state activities. Financial control at the NBC seems to be extremely poor. There have been many highly publicised cases of financial irregularity, corruption and the abuse of power. The General Manager for Human Resources was suspended over financial irregularities, while the Managing Director was fired over allegations of possible theft, which are still being investigated. In another scandal, a British company is suing the state broadcaster for N$140 million after the NBC signed a contract to build new transmitters and then reneged on the deal, allegedly because of political interference. The other major and very costly disaster was the commercialisation of license fees, which the NBC had outsourced to a company called Penduka, with dismal results. The whole experience cost the NBC an estimated N$20 million. The collection of license fees is now done by the NBC in co-operation with Nampost. It is clear that the NBC is so vulnerable to political interference because of poor management, a lack of corporate governance and its reliance on government support. SCORES: Individual scores: 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1 Average score: 1.6 (2005 = 2.8) 3.9 The public broadcaster is technically accessible in the entire country. ANALYSIS: The NBC has installed new transmitters in the last two years, but it is not known by how much they have expanded the corporation’s coverage. The Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2007/08 to 2009/10 released by the Ministry of Finance states that 94 per cent of the population had radio access in 2005-2006. The report forecasts that this will increase to 98 per cent in 20092010. The same report states that while television access stands at 64 per cent in 2005-2006, the goal is to provide television access to 70 per cent of the population by 2009-2010. So This Is Democracy? 2007 -211- Media Institute of Southern Africa