SOS Coalition 'dismayed' at resignation of Patricia Makhesha; calls for urgent hearing into why SABC board members keep quitting.

In an open letter to president Jacob Zuma and the Sikhumbuzo Kholwane, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications which is tasked to look at the affairs of the SABC, the vast public broadcasting pressure group, Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition) writes that it's noting with "dismay" the resignation of yet another SABC board member - this time Patricia Makhesha who has quit the beleaguered public broadcaster.

Patricia Makhesha is the seventh SABC board member to quit from the struggling South African public broadcaster within two years, since the new SABC board took office in 2010 and the SOS Coalition calls it "shocking" that people such as Barbara Masekela and Feleng Sekha "have found it impossible to stay and fullfill their duties on the SABC board".

The SOS Coalition says SABC board members keep quitting the SABC primarily because of two reasons: massive corporate governance problems at the broadcaster, as well as inappropriate governmental and ministerial interference by the department of communications and the minister of communications.

The SOS Coalition is calling for a special hearing by the portfolio committee on communications on the specific issues and reasons given by resigning SABC board members.

"Further it is the duty of parliament to investigate and make public the reasons for Patricia Makhesha's resignation. SOS believes strongly that the presidency and parliament cannot simply accept these letters of resignation and move on."