There is "certainly" no "purging" of employees at the SABC, under the leadership of CEO Madoda Mxakwe, members of Parliament heard.
The portfolio committee on communications on Tuesday was updated on the turnaround strategy of the public broadcaster.
The SABC last week announced it is in the process of an annual review of the contracts for freelance on-air talent for radio and sport.
Previously the public broadcaster placed on hold its intended retrenchments of 981 permanent staff and 1 200 freelancers, after facing pressure from Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.
Responding to questions about the review process, Mxakwe said the SABC's 1 893 freelancers are on a 12-month contract, which is reviewed in terms of audience numbers. The freelancers are repositioned to different slots based on the results.
"The process is underway and radio and TV management are engaging with freelancers based on their performance," he said.
Chris Maroleng, chief operations officer shared views that there is performance criteria for independent contractors or freelancers, which will determine if they will be retained. The audience performance figures impact the SABC's ability to generate revenue, he explained.
"[This is] not done to purge anyone but to ensure operational efficiencies," he said.
The committee heard that the two main unions – the Communications Workers Union (CWU) and the Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) - had declared a dispute with the performance management process.
The SABC has held a number of meetings to resolve the disputes, so far Bemawu has taken the matter to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
The SABC informed the committee that the performance management is in line with succession planning policy and the career progression policy.
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