You're reading it here first.
It didn't take long for the SABC's new group CEO Lulama Mokhobo to make her first big mistake only weeks after landing the position, with the SABC and the SABC board immediately being ordered to by South Africa's minister of communications, Dina Pule, to suspend the current extremely narrow search for a chief operating officer (COO) in the form of a job advert that specifies that no academic qualifications are needed and which was only advertised inside the SABC on Friday.
While South Africa's struggling public broadcaster said there's nothing wrong with the job advert (it was only advertised since Friday; people have only 3 days to apply; its only advertised internally on the SABC's Interkom newsletter; the COO position specifies nothing regarding any qualifications needed) Dina Pule has now ordered the SABC to immediately suspend the abnormal process.
''The minister immediately requested the SABC board to suspend the current search,'' says the department of communications in a strongly-worded press statement just issued, saying Dina Pule ordered the SABC to follow a ''normal and wider executive appointment process''. The department says the minister feels that the SABC board will ''handle all processes of appointments accordingly''.
The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition has come out in vocal denouncement of the SABC's COO advertisment move, saying in a statement this afternoon that ''the integrity of the appointment process can not be underminded'' and that the SABC ''must strive to attract the best possible candidate, whether it is internally or externally,'' calling the already seemingly botched-first attempt by Lulama Mokhobo to advertise for a COO ''the first important test for our new group CEO's leadership skills''.
The SOS Coalition says ''the SABC board and group CEO needs to ensure that the appointment process follows scrupulous due process in terms of ensuring that that the job is advertised internally and externally; that the deadline for applications is extended to ensure maximum opportunity to participate; and that the SABC must ensure they find the best person for this important post.''
