eNCA plans major restructuring as 171 jobs face retrenchment

eNCA has begun a Section 189 consultation process that could result in the retrenchment of 171 employees as the broadcaster restructures its newsroom for a digital-first future. More than half of eNCA’s workforce could be retrenched as the 24-hour news channel embarks on a major restructuring process aimed at transforming its traditional newsroom into a smaller, digital-first operation. According to a report published by the Sunday Times, 171 of eNCA’s 309 employees have been identified as potentially affected by a Section 189 consultation process expected to begin on Wednesday.

Staff were informed on Tuesday that they would be required to report to eMedia’s offices at noon on Wednesday for the start of consultations. Notices signed by eNCA Managing Director Norman Munzhelele reportedly outlined the company’s plans to reshape its newsroom in response to changing audience consumption habits and the decline of traditional television viewership. The company said its current newsroom structure is based on traditional models that “no longer support this evolving landscape”.

According to the notices seen by the Sunday Times, eNCA intends to establish a single, integrated newsroom built around a digital-first strategy that will support continuous publishing across its television, online and digital platforms. The broadcaster said the restructuring is necessary to reduce duplication, streamline workflows and deploy staff and technical resources more efficiently. “Certain roles, function and/or structures can no longer be sustained in their current form,” the notice stated.

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eNCA said the proposed changes are aimed at creating “a smaller, focused, multi-platform newsroom” that is better suited to modern news consumption patterns. The company argued that the current staffing model does not adequately support a multi-platform environment and contributes to duplication in content production. It further stated that the new operating model would result in “more efficient workflows, greater platform integration and a more effective deployment of resources”, enabling “faster and more sustainable journalism without compromising editorial standards”.

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