Parliament wants answers from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board as a matter of urgency following the resignations of Ben Ngubane and Thami ka Plaatjie, chairman and deputy of the respectively.
The Portfolio Committee on Communications (PCC) issued a statement in which it expresses its “concern and dismay at the untenable situation currently presiding over at the SABC,” after the “untimely and surprising” resignations of Ngubane and Plaatjie from the board on Sunday.
SABC news reported the chairman and his deputy’s resignations brings the number of resignations from the 12 member board to nine since it was established.
Furthermore, the PCC said they want to meet with the board as a matter of urgency. This is reportedly increasing tensions between the PCC and the SABC board.
Sikhumbuzo Kholwane told City Press he expects this meeting to take place “when the president responds – either accepts or rejects the resignations. If he does it today or tomorrow then we will call the board to appear on Friday.”
Marian Shinn, the shadow minister for the Democratic Alliance (DA) believes president Zuma should accept the resignations.
No official reasons have been given for the resignations, however it is believed they are a result of the board’s delaying to submit its report on the Special Investigations Unit’s findings of corruption and maladministration at the broadcaster between 2005 and 2010.
Kholwane says it is not the only issue the PCC will want to discuss. “We will want to know what has happened in the past few weeks that has led to this crisis. We might want to call an investigation into the operability of the board.”
For some time now “one could detect a lack of leadership on the board,” Kholwane said. He added the public broadcaster cannot afford any form of instability, “especially at the time when the country will be migrating from analogue to digital,” this despite the fact South Africa will miss the international deadline in approximately two years time.
