Court action behind delay of new SABC board

The delay in the appointment of the new SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board is not “due to dereliction of duty on the part of President Cyril Ramaphosa”, his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says.

Magwenya said the delay was “deeply regrettable and it was unfortunate that interested parties have resorted to court action”.

Shortlist submitted

“In fact, once the candidates’ shortlist was submitted to the president, there were issues that were identified as being misaligned with the Act and clarity had to be sought with the National Assembly,” he added.

“In the response to the Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) court papers, the president will detail all of those concerns and also demonstrate he acted in accordance with his constitutional obligations by seeking clarity on issues that would have undermined the integrity of the process.”

MMA director William Bird said the absence of a board placed the SABC at risk, because one of the reasons it had a board was so they could exercise oversight and keep an eye on the finances.

“They can mobilise other re sourcing plans and go to government and say, look, we are going to need another bailout,” he said.

“Which is almost certainly what’s going to have to happen when the board gets in because, they’ve got to operate in the best interest of the SABC.” Bird said the SABC took a big hit because of the analogue switch and advertising rates were also down generally.

NOW READ: ‘Ramaphosa assuming powers he doesn’t have’: NPO goes to court over failure to appoint SABC board

‘Government has failed, again’

“So there’s no question the SABC is in an almost impossible position”. “At the same time, government has once again failed to adjust and come up with a new policy, so it’s unsurprising the SABC finances are very tight.

And to leave that in the hands of your executive is not just highly unfair, it’s just unsustainable and fundamentally illogical. That’s why you need to have a board.”

DA member of parliament’s communications portfolio committee Dianne Kohler-Barnard criticised Ramaphosa for the continuous delay in appointing the board.

She said the committee unanimously chose the 12 most suitable candidates in December and the names were sent to the president.

Three additional names were also selected and approved in the event that some of the 12 candidates fell away. “The committee did its work; the names were taken to the president by 6 December last year,” she added.

“There are crucial decisions only the board can take. They cannot appoint the chief executive as the board so he can sign off on things.

ALSO READ: ‘It’s unlawful’: Legal action looms after CEO given power to serve as SABC board