The SABC board and the Minister of Communications met on Monday to discuss the "challenges" facing the public broadcaster, the minister's spokesperson said.

"The board appraised the minister (Siphiwe Nyanda) on the recent challenges facing the SABC including the broadcaster's financial affairs, the current salary negotiations with unions, reported differences between board members, and the filling of key vacant positions," spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso said in a statement.

"The minister raised his concerns about the negative public perception on the board and executive management's ability to give direction to the public broadcaster's operations," said Rikhotso.

The SABC is facing a R784-million deficit this year, its workers are threatening labour action, local producers of content say they have gone unpaid for their work, three of its board members have resigned since March, and the positions of the SABC CEO, Chief Operating Officer and Head of News are still vacant.

Former Head of News Snuki Zikalala left the SABC on 1 May after the board declined to renew his contract. Former CEO Dali Mpofu was fired by the board on 20 January after an eight-month battle which began after Mpofu had attempted to suspend Zikalala, who had been accused of leaking confidential documents. Mpofu promised in January that he would fight his dismissal.

"As a shareholder we are equally not comfortable with the fact that the SABC continues to operate without key senior executives. We urged them to finalise as soon as possible the process of appointing a Group CEO, COO and the head the corporation's news and current affairs division," said Nyanda.

In addition to this, a coalition of television workers have promised to demonstrate on Thursday against the SABC's "non-payment" for their work.

"The protest has been provoked by the public broadcaster's non-payment of millions of rand to independent producers and the subsequent retrenchments that are occurring throughout the industry," the Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) said in a statement.

The TVIEC claims to represent 80 percent of local content on the air. It estimates the SABC owes as much as R58 million to local content producers.

"The SABC management also committed to soon meet with the independent producers with a view to resolve issues of non-payment taking into account the cash-flow challenges facing the public broadcaster," said Rikhotso.

Finally, workers at the SABC are restless and they have accused the management of ignoring their wage requests.

The Communication Workers Union Gauteng chairperson Tommy Morudu, who represents some of the SABC employees, was quoted in the City Press on Sunday as saying: "We have been nursing the situation for quite some time now. We are workers with the SABC's interests at heart, but management is not coming to the party."

The SABC was offering its workers a staggered increase of seven percent in June and 1.5 percent in July. Workers wanted 12.2 percent backdated to 1 April.

"Regarding the current salary negotiations between management and unions, the minister was assured that negotiations are currently underway and the SABC management has further reassured the minister that they will work towards reaching an amicable solution with the unions," said Rikhotso.