SABC IN CHAOS & CRISIS: Dina Pule accused of creating chaos and fuelling the SABC crisis by interfering in board's functioning.

The SABC in chaos & crisis: Dina Pule, the minister of communications, is accused of causing the chaos at the SABC and creating the crisis which has led to the utter implosion of the SABC's corporate governance when all but one of the SABC board members resigned during the past 14 days in a public, bitter, conflict-fuelled meltdown of infighting at the highest level of the SABC.

The beleaguered public broadcaster facing the biggest crisis in the crumbling corporation's history is without any governing body and its public image and reputation in tatters.

Today in parliament before parliament's portfolio committee on communications, Suzanne Vos, one of the last three remaining SABC board members - before she, too quit - blasted Dina Pule and dr. Ben Ngubane, the SABC chairperson who quit last week, for their meddling and interference.

"At the heart of this crisis - if one can call it that - is the view, not only of my own, that ministerial interference in board decision-making and the functioning of the SABC has become extremely problematic," said Suzanne Vos, pointing fingers at Dina Pule.

Then Suzanne Vos blasted dr. Ben Ngubane.

The singular, unilateral decision-making of the chairman, dr. Ben Ngubane, has been previously brought to the attention of this committee of parliament," Suzanne Vos said.

Dina Pule didn't hold back. Dina Pule told the portfolio committee that she was "relieved" that the portfolio committee supports the disbanding of the SABC board because the public broadcaster "needs a functioning board".

"If they don't do that by the end of March; if we don't have a SABC board, there will be an audit query against us," said Dina Pule in parliament. "I'm relieved that the leadership of the committee is helping us to have a board."

SABC board members who have already quit, blamed Dina Pule for the widening crisis at the SABC. "She tried to overturn our decisions when she does not have the power to do so," said one SABC board member who had resigned this week.

BREAKING. SABC in bitter sparring in parliament: "Rampant maladministration and corruption in the SABC board," says Cawe Mahlati.

In a highly, highly embarrassing public spectacle for the SABC - a sparring match as much soap as its reality, and as fascinatingly scandalous - the persona non grata SABC board member Cawekazi Mahlati on the one hand, and the SABC chairperson dr Ben Ngubane and the rest of the SABC board on the other, viciously laid into each other in parliament today.

The result is a shockingly bitter and acrimonious display of clashing personalities laying bare the fracturous personality clashes on the SABC board whose members are supposed to steer the beleaguered public broadcaster out of crises but which remains mired in a morass of problems.

There's no love lost between Cawe Mahlati and the rest of the SABC board who've unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in her and now want her gone. All of the internal squabbles and all of its full ugliness bubbled up, over and out today in a cringeworthy, yet fascinating, and completely shocking public display of in-fighting.

It all started this morning which was yet again a an extremely shocking, cringeworthy, and painful day for the SABC as the beleaguered public broadcaster's board was roasted in parliament for the shoddy latest report compiled by the broadcaster. Members of parliament were not happy about the numerous unaddresses crises afflicting the troubled broadcaster and the lack of specific answers and detail from the SABC.

That was only this morning's session and the shape of even worse things to come.

Then already Cawe Mahlati  - according to the SABC's company secretary the only SABC board member who has after more than a year not declared outside interests - kept interrupting, saying the report discussed today in parliament never passed through the SABC board.

It suddenly became crystal clear that this afternoon's session of SABC governance and Cawe Mahlati in parliament - was going to be a zinger.

"Dr Ngubane and his leadership of the SABC board has led to the dissolution of one SABC board already," Cawe Mahlati told parliament's portfolio committee on communications this afternoon.


Cawe Mahlati told the portfolio committee that she is being singled out because she is the lone voice of reason and the voice which airs "all inconvenient truths which the SABC chairperson and some members of the SABC board seek to hide".

Cawe Mahlati also lashed out against "the rampant maladministration and corruption in the SABC board" under the "autocratic and patriarchal" leadership style of dr Ben Ngubane.

And she didn't stop there. "Dr Ben Ngubane is of the view that he is the board and the other board members have allowed him to be as such," said Cawe Mahlati.

Meanwhile members of parliament's communications committee heard that the allegations against Cawe Mahlati and the reason for the motion of no confidence in her include unethical behaviour and the failure to treat fellow SABC board members with respect and dignity.

Dr Ben Ngubane said the grievances lodged against Cawe Mahlati by the Special Monitoring Task Team is about her alleged disruptive behaviour. "Mahlati doubted and questioned every decision taken by the SABC board," dr Ben Ngubane said.

"The work of the SABC is being totally frustrated with this constant fighting, disagreements, wasting of a lot of time at SABC board meetings," dr Ben Ngubane said.

"We have a problem. And that problem is advocate Cawe Mahlati," said SABC board member Suzanne Vos.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications will have to deliberate and decide on how to proceed with the latest squabbling and in-fighting within the SABC board.