Deputy Speaker, it is a matter of great concern to the IFP that the Public Broadcaster is again making news for all the wrong reasons. Although we were initially optimistic that under the leadership of a new board, the SABC would be able to address its critical problems and chart a new way forward, the current shenanigans suggest that our confidence was premature.
The contempt for the board, which the chair of the board has recently displayed, is bad enough. But the fact that Mr Solly Mokoetla, the CEO, has now entered the fray by telling senior staff that Mr Phil Molefe has indeed been appointed as head of news, beggars belief.
This represents another direct challenge to the board and cannot be ignored. It is the duty of both Parliament and the shareholder, represented by the Minister of Communications, to uphold the integrity of the board.
The IFP calls on the Minister to demonstrate leadership on this issue and, at the very least, to show that he disapproves of and will not tolerate the antics of the board chair and of the chief executive officer, CEO.