The public pressure group Support Public Broadcasting (SOS Coalition) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) on Friday filed a joint application in the High Court in Johannesburg,demanding that South African president Jacob Zuma appoint the permanent SABC board within 48 hours.
The rudderless and cash-strapped SABC, deep in debt, posted a R977 million loss and continues to drift aimlessly without any SABC board since Jacob Zuma refuses to rubber-stamp the appointments sent to him a month ago by parliament.
With no board since the term of the SABC interim board lapsed, South Africa's minister of communications Ayanda Dlodlo who says she doesn't want any on the SABC interim board members to serve on the permanent SABC board, secretively delegated the accounting authority of the SABC board to current acting SABC CEO Nomsa Philiso.
This past Thursday Ayanda Dlodlo suddenly rushed to abruptly extend the terms of the executives who have been acting in all of the SABC's top executive positions.
Ayanda Dlodlo who has lost trust from South Africa's TV industry after promises to save, properly clean up and stabilise the SABC, extended the terms of Nomsa Philiso (acting SABC CEO), Bessie Tugwana (acting SABC COO) and Thabile Dlamini (acting SABC CFO) who will all continue in their acting roles with their acting appointment terms extended until the vacancies for these positions are filled on a permanent basis.
Meanwhile SABC staffers on the verge of revolt, are planning strike action and are demanding the removal of several alleged executives who are so-called "Hlaudi enforcers" like acting news boss Kenneth Makatees, Nothando Maseko and for an investigation into the appointment of Bessie Tugwana as acting COO.
There's now calls for an urgent parliamentary meeting to be held this coming week.
In their joint urgent court application, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition) is demanding that Jacob Zuma appoint the new permanent SABC board within 48 hours if he wants to avoid legal action.
Besides Jacob Zuma, the SABC, Ayanda Dlodlo, the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) political party and the SABC interim board are all listed as respondents.
"It is declared that Jacob Zuma's failure to appoint or/and undue delay in appointing the fifth to sixth respondents (interim board) as non-executive members of the SABC board is unlawful and unconstitutional," says MMA and SOS in the urgent court application.
"As a matter of law, the president has no discretion regarding whether to appoint SABC board members identified by the National Assembly. The only role for the president is to determine the chairperson and deputy chairperson from the board members identified by the National Assembly."
"This makes the delay in appointment, with respect, simply inexplicable."
If Jacob Zuma fails to appoint the SABC board on Monday 16 October, he will have to file a notice of intention to oppose the MMA and SOS Coalition court application by 17:00, and will have to file his answering affidavit by Tuesday 17 October.
