SABC television begins its full service across South Africa
After months of test broadcasts in 1975, the SABC opened South Africa's first regular television service on 5 January 1976, with one channel shared between English and Afrikaans.
South Africa came late to television. For years the National Party government resisted it, and some ministers warned that it would spread foreign ideas and weaken Afrikaans.
Test transmissions began in Johannesburg in May 1975 and reached Cape Town and Durban later that year. The full service opened at six in the evening on 5 January 1976, when presenters Heinrich Maritz and Dorianne Berry welcomed viewers in Afrikaans and English. Prime Minister B. J. Vorster formally opened the service later that evening.
There was a single channel, broadcasting about 37 hours a week and split equally between English and Afrikaans, in colour using the PAL system. Services in African languages followed only in 1982, on separate channels.
Why it matters
Television quickly became part of daily life for households that could afford a set. Because the state broadcaster controlled it, what South Africans saw on screen was closely shaped by government policy until the 1990s.
Where it happened
South Africa (national broadcast)
The service went out across the country through the SABC's transmitter network, so there is no single event location.
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Where it happened National
South Africa (national broadcast)
The service went out across the country through the SABC's transmitter network, so there is no single event location.
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Institution Area
SABC broadcasting centre, Auckland Park, Johannesburg
The SABC's television facilities in the Henley complex at Auckland Park were built between 1972 and 1974 and staff were trained there for the new service. The sources do not name the exact studio used on opening night, so the circle covers the SABC campus rather than one building.
