R2K continues protests against political capture of the SABC!

22 August 2016

The Right2Know Campaign will picket tomorrow in Cape Town and Pretoria to coincide with a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Communications.

Our main demand is that Parliament must urgently reconstitute the board through an open public process, similar to the appointment of the Public Protector.

We continue to call for the removal of Communications Minister, Faith Muthambi and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, whose permanent appointment as the SABC COO was ruled as ‘unlawful and irrational’ by the High Court last year.

Parliament has been complicit in the decay at the SABC. The committee has failed to fill board vacancies dating as far back as two years, neglecting their duties in terms of the Broadcasting Act and leaving us with an inquorate board of lapdogs who rubber stamp all of Hlaudi and the executive's reckless decisions.

After the massive public outcry against the SABC executive and board which prompted an about turn from Luthuli House and strong words from the ANC's sub-committee on communications against SABC management, ANC MPs have now been forced to agree to an inquiry into the SABC saga. But they have a long way to go to demonstrate their seriousness and win the confidence of the public. It was they who effectively condoned the purge of three board members - Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi - by fellow members of the Board and the minister. The three were said to have been opposed to the woefully incompetent and autocratic COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

MPs should not be cowing to Muthambi and attempting to push through her Broadcast Amendment Bill, which would wrest from parliament its legislated role in board appointments and be the final nail in the coffin of the public broadcaster's independence.

Instead, Parliament needs to exercise its oversight and ensure that the Board is reconstituted through and open and democratic participatory process, and it needs to proceed in this regard with the utmost urgency.

The SABC board, Icasa and Minister Muthambi have all been invited to Tuesday's meeting, though don't hold your breath in anticipation of the Minister's attendance as she has a habit of dodging important meetings and neglecting her ministerial duties.

We are, nevertheless, keeping a close eye on the committee members. It is high time they take the necessary measures to save the SABC. The minister and the Board need to be called to account.

Issued by Micha Reddy, MFD Organiser, R2K, 22 August 2016