SABC interim board: nominations & final list

Meeting report

The Chairperson stated that the process of selecting an interim board for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) would begin that day with each party presenting five candidates. All parties would then take all candidate nominations to their party caucuses tomorrow morning, deciding on their final recommendation from the pool of candidates. The Committee would meet tomorrow afternoon to decide on the final five persons that would be appointed to the interim board. It would be preferable if the Committee could reach consensus on the final appointment since that would install a great level of confidence in the board. However if this was not possible, then the matter would have to be settled in the usual manner through voting. In their caucuses, parties should also make sure they suggest a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson. It was the Committee’s responsibility to recommend these posts to the National Assembly, and if voted through there it was the President’s duty to appoint them, which meant that in effect the Committee was responsible for those appointments also. It was a heavy responsibility that lay on the Committee. With those words he opened the floor for the discussion.

ANC nominations
Mr S Kholwane (ANC) said that before he nominated the ANC candidates he wanted to make sure that all parties were comfortable with the speed of the nomination. It had been said in the National Assembly today that it was a sad day due to the dissolution of the board. But it was also a day of new beginnings, and it fell on the Committee to ensure that they moved in a way that did not see a repeat of the crisis. He also wanted to point out that it was not the ANC that appointed the interim board; it was the Committee as a collective. It was imperative that the appointed members were treated with respect and dignity and that their basic human rights were respected. It had to be ensured that all five of them knew with certainty that the Committee would treat them with respect.

As he had said earlier that year, the ANC was committed to trying to reach a consensus in every issue, instead of relying on their majority to push their views through. This approach had been reemphasized by the President many times; they were to listen to all points of views and collectively come to decisions that were in the best interest of the country. This was the approach the ANC wanted to follow when engaging on the names nominated by the opposition. But it was also important that the opposition engaged on the names presented by the ANC and minority parties and that they acted in a responsible manner. The Committee needed to establish an environment of trust and understanding; they had five years of working together in front of them and in order for that time to be fruitful they needed to cooperate. There had been a problem of trying to score points in the National Assembly, which had forced the ANC to respond, sometimes in a manner that was not conducive to establishing consensus. They should leave those tendencies behind and become a family. With that he asked the Chairperson if he could go ahead and present the ANC nominations.

The Chair said that he could, and he also reminded parties that there were certain criteria for board membership set out in the Broadcasting Act. For example all board members had to be South Africans. So parties were urged to look at the Act when making their nominations.

Mr Kholwane said that in choosing their candidates the ANC had looked for people with the abilities needed to carry the SABC forward. They had also chosen candidates in accordance with their 50/50 gender approach, which was something other parties had to know they were not willing to compromise on when it came to appointing the board.

Their first nominee was Ms Irene Charnley who was heading the SMILE campaign, which was engaged in brining Information Communications Technologies (ICT) to the rural areas of South Africa. Her strong point was her experience in corporate governance issues, something she had been involved in at MTN amongst other places. Their second candidate was Dr Phillip Frederick Mtimkulu, who was currently at University of South Africa (UNISA). Their third candidate was Ms Libby Lloyd, who had been the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and she had served the SABC in a variety of ways, for example doing research for the public broadcaster. The fourth nominee was Adv Leslie Sedibe, who was chosen to bring strong legal capabilities to the board. He had also been involved in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Local Organising Committee procurements. The final person they nominated was Adv William Mokhare, who was also chosen as a legal expert, but who showcased a myriad of relevant experiences on the last page of his Curriculum Vitae (CV).

Independent Democrats nominations
Ms P De Lille (ID) stated that the ID had wanted to wait to make arrangements until after the dissolution of the previous board was official. This meant that some of the candidates had not yet been contacted. That would be done tonight, and she would also make sure that she supplied the CVs of the final candidates before caucus tomorrow.

Their first nominee was Mr Frederick van Zyl Slabbert, who had extensive business experience and who had also worked with the Caxton Group. Their second nominee was Prof Chris Landsberg, who was currently at the University of Johannesburg and who was a well known commentator. Their third candidate was Associate Prof Richard Calland, who was involved with University of Cape Town and who was a well known and respected analyst. Their fourth candidate, who had not yet been contacted, was Ms Maria Ramos, who had been very successful in the turnaround of Transnet, and their final candidate was Mr Max du Preez.

COPE nominations
Ms J Kilian (COPE) stated that COPE had taken the same route as the ID, which meant that not all candidates had been consulted. COPE’s nominations were, Prof Guy Berger; Ms Pippa Green, who had much SABC experience and a clear understanding of the organisational and corporate requirements; Mr Shauket Faki, who they believed could see through the many ‘nice’ presentations board members were faced with and get to the point of risk and finance management; Dr Mamphela Ramphele; and Prof Njabulo Ndebele. COPE wondered what the Committee’s stance was on bringing one of the old board members on to the interim board to ensure some level of continuity. COPE had approached Ms A Gilwald and Mr D Golding, who had both indicated they would be willing to serve on the interim board, although not on the final board. Considering Mr Golding’s swift analysis of the financial situation at the SABC, he could make a valuable input in the new board.

Democratic Alliance nominations
Mr L Mazibuko (DA) said that the DA would present their candidates tomorrow morning before caucuses.

Inkatha Freedom Party nominations
As Mr Zondi (IFP) was not present, the Chairperson noted that Mr Zondi had informally told him that one of the IFP candidates was Ms Suzanne Vos.

Discussion
The Chairperson said that what was important to realize that many of these people were very busy and the Committee needed a clear indication whether they would accept the nomination. Some persons that the ANC had spoken to had been concerned of the reputational damage that could result from serving on an interim board. Some of the persons that had been mentioned by the other parties had in fact been contacted by the ANC but they had declined the opportunity to serve on the interim board. The Committee needed to appeal to the persons and tell them that their country needed them to offer a valuable contribution. Moreover, helping to turn the national broadcaster around could also increase their good reputation and dignity. It also had to be ensured that the nominees understood what was expected of them in terms of time commitment; there was much work to be done at the SABC and the post would be more intensive than an ordinary board commitment.

Ms De Lille said that she was concerned about there being a political affiliation with the nominees that had been made by different parties; this had to be avoided. Secondly she wanted to say that an ideal candidate from the ID’s side would be Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, due to his community based experience, but he was very busy at the time and it almost required a divine intervention for him to be able to serve on the board. Finally she confirmed that she would have the ID final list complete with CVs in front of the parties before their caucuses next morning.

Mr G Radebe (ANC) said that three opposition parties had not yet provided their nominations: the IFP, the DA and the UDM. It was important that they consulted with the Chairperson and with other parties so that all candidates could be considered at the caucuses. He re-iterated the need to reach consensus. Finally, the Committee needed to acknowledge the former board members for their input in trying to solve the problems at the SABC so that it could be seen as a joint effort and not as the Committee disrespecting them in any way.

About the former board members, the Chairperson said that it had been discussed within the ANC and they were reluctant to include them in the interim board. All of them had made an important contribution to the SABC. However in light of the dissolution of the board, recommending only one of them to serve on the interim board could be seen exempting that person from any responsibility for what had gone wrong at the SABC. This was not appropriate since the failings had been of the board as a collective and it was a responsibility that they needed to carry collectively. He did understand the value of corporate memory, but in the previous board six of the members had been part of the board before it, and it had been clear that some of the problems were carried over into the new board. In today’s situation that would be exacerbated considering that all members had considerable baggage to carry due to what had happened in the SABC.

Mr Kholwane said that the problem with carrying members over was that, as Ms Mkhonza had said in her submission to the board, persons who had resigned had stated that they had done so in the interest of the country. Therefore not having resigned could be seen as opposing what was best for the country, and that was indeed a sentiment that had been in the public domain. To appoint one of the old board members would possibly lead to a public debate over the appointments, and that should be avoided in this situation when they needed an interim board that was supported completely. He also pointed out that some of the names mentioned by the opposition had also been the ANC’s first choice, but they had not accepted the nomination. The board appointment would be a part- to full-time job. Board members needed to be on the ground, watching what was happening at the SABC ‘like a hawk, ready to attack and feast’.

Ms Kilian (COPE) said that COPE had chosen candidates without considering their political affiliations, and had looked at individuals who were highly regarded in society. As a political party, they could approach people, but it was possible that the candidates did not want to be associated with a certain party and decline the nomination on those grounds. Was it possible to get the parliamentary secretariat to contact the persons on behalf of the Committee, if the parties supplied them their lists? Also nominees needed to be informed as to exactly what was expected of them in terms of time commitments.

The Chairperson responded that although he understood Ms Kilian’s concern it would be too big of a burden to place on the parliamentary secretariat. As Ms De Lille had said they should all look at candidates irrespective of their political affiliations, and instead focus on the skills they could bring to the SABC. He also said that he, as Chair of the Committee, had contacted some of the persons on her list and they had declined due to practical constraints. There should be no political tag attached to the nominees.

Ms M Magazi (ANC) said that the legislation also stated that persons who held political office could not sit on the board. What was the situation with Ms Vos. Did she still hold a political office?

Ms Adhikarie, senior parliamentary legal advisor, said that there was a section in the Constitution that said that candidates could not be in positions remunerated by the state, but the wording could be compensated, which would put things in a different light; she needed to check the wording.

The Chairperson said that he had spoken to the IFP and Ms Vos was retired from politics and held no office.

Ms Adhikarie said that then it would be no problem.

The Chair adjourned the meeting. They would meet again tomorrow 12.30pm to finalise the appointment of the interim board.