You're reading it here first. The Save our SABC Coalition (SOS) has just sent a letter to mr Ismail Vadi, chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications asking for ''MAXIMUM TRANSPARENCY'' in the interview and appointment process of the new SABC board members that will start on Tuesday.
Programming note: The Parliamentary Service channel (DStv 408) will broadcast all the proceedings LIVE on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from about 10:00 until 17:00 daily.
The SOS notes that there's PROBLEMS with the list of 31 candidates.
The SOS wants to know:
1.Why are there so few women on the first shortlist of 31 candidates despite the nomination of a numbe rof excellent women?
2.Why is there an over emphasis on business and government candidates?
3.What about the potential conflict of interest that some of the candidates have who are nominated?
The SOS want government to release their reasons for selecting these 31 people.
GOOD THING!
The SOS wants government to give reasons for the final selection of board members.
GOOD THING!
The SOS wants the PUBLIC and everyone who watches the SABC to be given the opportunity to comment on the final 12 candidates before it's presented to the national assembly at the end of the interview process.
GOOD THING!
The SOS wants all the candidates to be grilled about:
How they will ensure that they deliver on the SABC's mandate as public broadcaster?
How they will keep SABC news and programming UNTAINTED from interference by government and political parties?
What they know of the process of digital terrestrial migration (DTT) and how that is going to impact the SABC.
How they see the problematic funding structure of the SABC and their solutions.
How they see the SABC's accountability to US as the viewing public.
What individual candidates think of their conflicts of interest and how they are going to deal with these.
