SABC in chaos & crisis: Parliament must take a firm stand when addressing the crisis at the SABC, says Media Monitoring Africa (MMA).
Parliament's portfolio committee on communications, the body in South Africa tasked with oversight of the beleaguered South African public broadcaster, is meeting today to address the massive meltdown and collapse of governance at the SABC.
The committee intends to dissolve what remains of the tattered SABC board and to appoint an interim committee of 5 people.
It follows after the resignations of SABC board chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane, deputy chairperson Thami Ka Plaatjie, followed by 6 further SABC board member resignations when Lumko Mtide, John Danana, Cedric Gina, Desmond Golding, Adv. Cawe Mahlati and Noluthando Gosa also quit.
It leaves the rudderless SABC with only three SABC board members out of 12 - Suzanne Vos, Pippa Green and Claire McNeil - who can't meet, and effective leave the embattled SABC as functioning without any governing body to take important and ongoing decisions.
William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) told the eNCA (DStv 403) that "what we need is for parliament to be bold; for parliament to act strongly and to implement very strong oversight measures and to hold the SABC board to account".
"It's our public broadcaster, and unless we start demanding that of our own public institutions, in five years time we're going to be here saying exactly the same thing," William Bird.
