Chairperson, let there be no doubt that we are in the middle of a very serious fight for the soul of the SABC. The elections make it more serious for the moment as the ANC, for the first time, experiences being on the receiving end of biased reporting. We are used to this as we have been experiencing it for many years! This is what this Bill is all about.
Die SAUK is 'n openbare uitsaaier, nie 'n staatsuitsaaier nie. Mag hy nooit dit word nie, want dan het ons moeilikheid in Suid-Afrika.
Die harde werklikheid is dat die SAUK tans grootliks 'n nuus-monopolie het. Daar is SABC 3 wat jy met eTv se Engelse nuus kan vergelyk, maar al die ander nuusbulletins het net die SAUK in die bulletin. Daarom is dit belangrik dat hy objektief moet bly, neutraal moet bly en niemand beheer oor hom moet kry nie.
'n Onafhanklike regstelsel is net so belangrik soos 'n onfahanklike openbare uitsaaiser wat oor nuus beheer het.
Ek wil u nie terugvat na Zimbabwe toe nie, maar gaan kyk maar wat daar verkeerdgeloop het. Vanaf 1980 het Robert Mugabe onmiddelik die uitsaaistelsel beheer. Dit het gelei tot waar ons vandag met die moeilikheid sit.
Hoe kry jy beheer oor 'n uitsaaistelsel? Jy kry dit op 'n subtiele manier. Jy hou 'n swaard oor die kop van die mense daar. Jy dreig hulle met afdanking op die geringste die-kant of daardie-kant. Sonder om hard te praat, weet elkeen dat hulle uiteindelik moet doen wat van hulle verwag word, want daar is base oor hul koppe.
Regters word aangestel sonder enige moontlikheid om van hulle ontslae te kan raak; dit verseker dat hulle onafhanklik is. Die SAUK behoort in dieselfde posisie te wees, dat iemand aangestel moet kan word, volle vetroue geniet en in sy posisie kan aanbly.
Ek ken die argumente van onbekwaamheid, van probleme hier en daar, maar ek s vir u, hierdie maak eintlik van die SAUK 'n skoothond na alle kante toe.
Ek praat nie eers van die feit dat dit nie so maklik is om van 'n Parlementslid hier ontslae te raak sonder 'n ingewikkelde regs- en administratiewe proses nie. Gaan probeer maar 'n bietjie om van u mense hier af te dank. Hierso, maklik soort van, gaan ontslae geraak word van SAUK raadslede, om sekere politieke doeleindes.
Die VF Plus gaan teen die wetgewing stem en neem graag deel aan die petisie uiteindelik om dit by die President te kry en dit daar te stop. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The SABC is a public broadcaster, not a state broadcaster. May it never become one, because then there will be trouble in South Africa.
The harsh reality is that the SABC to a large extent presently enjoys a monopoly on news. We do have SABC 3, which one can compare to eTv's English news, but the other news bulletins are all SABC throughout. That is why it is important for it to remain objective and neutral, while nobody gains control of it.
An independent judiciary is just as important as an independent broadcaster in control of news.
I don't want to take you back to Zimbabwe, but just take a look at what went wrong there. From 1980 onwards Robert Mugabe immediately gained control of the broadcasting system. This led to the problems we are faced with today.
How does one gain control of a broadcasting system? You do it in a subtle way. You hold a sword over the heads of the people there. You threaten them with instant dismissal at the least sign of divergence. Without any voice being raised everybody knows that in the end they must do what is expected of them, because there are bosses at their heels.
Judges are being appointed without any possibility of getting rid of them; this ensures their impartiality. The SABC should be in the same position, that someone can be appointed, enjoy full confidence and remain in his or her post.
I know the arguments about incompetence and problems here and there, but I am telling you that this is actually turning the SABC into a lapdog on all sides.
I am not even talking about the fact that it is not so easy to get rid of a Member of Parliament here without an intricate legal and administrative process. Just try to dismiss some of your people here. In this instance, kind of effortlessly, certain SABC board members are going to be done away with for certain political purposes.
The FF Plus will be voting against this legislation and would like to support the petition in order ultimately to present it to the President and to stop it there. I thank you. [Applause.]]