House Chairperson, I think, firstly, let us just say this: that in the committee we were all in agreement that the board had reached a state of dysfunctionality and that something was going to have to be done. I think what is of concern and what we need to be looking at is the fact that this is the second board in a row that has reached this state and also has reached the state at which it has to be dissolved. We will have to identify the factors that have affected the board and steps that need to be taken to ensure that we do not have a repeat of this situation in the future.
The interim board, which the committee is recommending, would, if appointed, have to guide the SABC during the next six months. We are confident that the names before the House today have the requisite experience to perform this task they are being asked to perform.
I just want to respond to a number of points that have been raised here in the House. Firstly, this process was not bulldozed through the committee this morning. In fact, all political parties were informed yesterday - in fact, in the early hours of yesterday morning - of the situation we were facing. So, to come here and say it was bulldozed through is factually incorrect. I want to point out to the House and those who are watching the fact that this is the last sitting of the House before we rise for recess and the fact that there is no plenary scheduled until the end of April. So if we do not take a decision to put in place an interim board today, we will have no board in place until the end of April. [Interjections.] So I wanted to put those facts into context. [Interjections.]