The Media Workers’ Association of South Africa (Mwasa) today said the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) must be free from political interference.
HumanIPO reported earlier today opposition parties, namely the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Congress of the People (COPE), had expressed their concerns regarding the process whereby an interim SABC board was appointed, following the disbanding of the previous non-executive board yesterday.
The DA refrained from suggesting names for the board because they believe politicians should not influence the SABC. Mwasa has reiterated this.
“Mwasa calls on the presidency not to endorse the process followed in imposing the interim board and to indeed insist on an inclusive, consultative engagement above expediency,” said the association.
“If the workers do not generally trust the process, we may not find resonance with the outcome,” Tuwani Gumani, Mwasa general secretary, told News24.
Furthermore, Mwasa believes the decision to “ram through” both the recommendation and nomination of the interim board candidates without any scrutiny amounts to negligence and dereliction.
“Mwasa is utterly disheartened and disappointed following the rushed hatchet job of imposing an interim board at the SABC,” concluded Gumani.
