Twelve Years of Mindlessness

This is an excerpt from a letter I had printed in The Citizen some 12 years ago (2010): For many years I have been a loyal supporter of the SABC and have always “done the right thing” and been in possession of a valid TV license. Every December the SABC have SMS’d me a reminder to renew my TV license and every year I have done so. Five years ago I got married and my wife moved in with her TV set. Since my old TV was on its last legs, I discarded it. We thus had one TV set in our household. My relationship with SABC continued as before – them reminding me to pay and me paying. Then last year I got divorced and moved out of the marital home, obviously leaving my wife’s TV with her. When SABC SMS’d me my reminder last December, I emailed them and explained why I would not be renewing the license this time – namely that I no longer live with either my ex nor her TV set... They send me increasingly threatening SMS’s and emails, demanding a certified copy of my divorce settlement and a sworn affidavit explaining why I refuse to license my ex-wife’s TV set. I courteously explained to them that I considered my divorce settlement to be a private document and that I had neither time nor inclination to run around sorting out affidavits for them. After all, Pick ‘n’ Pay do not demand affidavits from me stating that I do not shoplift from them, so where do SABC get off with this high-handed attitude? Anyway, things continued in this fashion, me emailing SABC, SABC ignoring my emails, SABC sending me increasingly threatening SMS’s (the last one saying that this is “MY LAST CHANCE!” *** About a year after this letter was printed, I moved to Saudi Arabia where I have lived and worked until this year. I got regular SMSs from SABC whilst in Saudi Arabia which I routinely ignored. They phoned me soon after I arrived back in SA 2months ago still asking for an affidavit; I told the caller that if they wanted an affidavit they were welcome to come to my address and take it themselves. I then blocked their number. Today I got an SMS informing me that my account has been handed over for collection - again. This ridiculous and mindless behavior has been going on for some 12 years!! TWELVE YEARS!! GO AWAY, SABC. I owe you nothing and I will pay you nothing. It is not for me to prove that I do not owe you money - it is for you to prove that I do. For God's sake go away and find some productive work to do.