The destructive, dysfunctional and destabilising SABC board is in freefall after it terminated his tenure and removed the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting chief operating officer (COO).
That was followed by SABC board chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane and deputy Thami Ka Plaatjie "reinstating" Hlaudi Motsoeneng; and then both dr. Ben Ngubane and Thami Ka Plaatjie quitting over the weekend after the SABC board publicly told them they don't have the authority to "reinstate" Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
South Africa's TV industry is transfixed by the biggest scandal at the SABC as the latest farce continues to grow even bigger.
IFP in a press statement TODAY:
"As South Africans we are required by law to pay TV licences and we therefore have the right to challenge and question the SABC. Why should South Africans be required to pay a public broadcaster that is a national embarrassment, is run like a spaza shop, stranded in a sea of incompetence, while the ship is sinking?"
"The latest SABC scandal playing itself out in the public arena - the chief operating officer crisis, the new rift in the SABC board coupled with allegations that communications minister Dina Pule has motivated for the re-instatement of disgraced COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng - has only served to bolster the SABC's nickname "Faulty Towers" by reaffirming that it has not managed to rid itself of the never-ending cycle of incompetence and mismanagement at the highest levels."
"This is only the latest public example of the malaise at the SABC. Despite the removal of the entire SABC board a few years ago, sadly, new SABC board members have not been able to stem the crisis."
"There can be no doubt that the ongoing process of the politicization of the public broadcaster lies at the very heart of the SABC's protracted crisis."
SOS Coalition in a press statement TODAY:
"Both the SABC chairperson and the SABC deputy chairperson have resigned following the quarrel over the position of the COO at the SABC. This places both governance and management of the corporation in crisis."
"The SOS Coalition members are in agreement that an emergency parliamentary hearing is essential. Parliament needs to investigate the SABC board, ministerial interference, the Special Investigations Unit report, the SABC management and the lacuna in the Broadcasting Act."
Congress of the People's (COPE) spokesperson Juli Killian TODAY:
"Dr. Ben Ngubane and Thami Ka Plaatjie's legacy of usurping executive powers and interfering in the corporations'd daily running will haunt the broadcaster.
Dr. Ben Ngubane would be remembered for his "autocratic style of leadership" and his failure to turn the SABC around and root out corruption and insider trading. The minister responsible should take her cue from the duo and immediately resign from office, failing which the president should dismiss Dina Pule without further delay."
Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Marian Shinn TODAY:
"President Jacob Zuma must accept the resignations and allow them to leave as soon as possible. Under dr. Ben Ngubane's leadership a number of appropriately experienced people, committed to restoring the SABC to a credible, financially stable public broadcaster serving all South Africans, resigned from the board in frustration because of his dictatorial style and his inability or unwillingness to prevent political interference in the broadcaster's editorial content."
"His unwavering support for Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting COO – who was both unqualified and unsuitable for the job – further divided the operations of the corporation, and eroded its reputation.
Turning the SABC around should be the key priority. I trust that the rest of the board will remain for stability's stake and that a chairperson, who is politically neutral and with solid credentials in corporate governance, can be found to take the SABC forward."
Dina Pule, the minister of communications' spokesperson Sipho Qoza TODAY:
"Dina Pule has been quite concerned about the goings-on at the board at the SABC.
Mac Maharaj, presidency spokesperson TODAY:
"The matter is receiving the attention of the president. He is aware of the urgency and the nature of the problem and he will be giving it the attention it requires."
