Deputy Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce this memorandum which aims to amend the Broadcasting Act, Act No 4 of 1999. The proposed committee Bill seeks to insert provisions in the Broadcasting Act which will allow for the removal of a member of the SABC Board by the President on the recommendation of the National Assembly and for the dissolution of the SABC Board itself, should it be necessary.
The rationale for this Bill can best be understood against the background of the recent unsatisfactory state of affairs at the SABC. The dysfunctionality of the board and the persistent conflicts between the board and the executive management have severely tarnished the image and reputation of the corporation in the eyes of the public.
The current Broadcasting Act has weaknesses in that it does not have an enabling mechanism either for the President of the country or the National Assembly to intervene when things go seriously wrong at the SABC.
The hon Minister of Communications pinpointed the problem in her recent budget speech when she said:
It is evident that both the executive and Parliament will have to review the legislative and appointing processes to ascertain whether this legislation, drawn up at a particular historical time, is relevant for our current historical conjuncture.
She added that -
The powers given to the appointing authority, the processes of appointing and removing board members, the Public Broadcaster's Charter, and the role of the executive and/or Parliament, clearly need reviewing, without sacrificing the broadcaster's independence but clarifying the nature, content and form of that independence.
She then invited the Portfolio Committee on Communications to look into this matter. The committee has taken up the invitation by the Minister to review the Broadcasting Act. It is with this in mind that the committee desires to introduce a committee Bill on the issue.
We trust that this House will grant permission to the committee to proceed with this matter today. Should that be the case, the committee will publish a Bill shortly, invite public comment on it and hold public hearings before considering and finalising the amendments.
The committee wishes to reassure the House that in spite of the limited time available in the next session of Parliament, a fully transparent and participative approach will be adopted when finalising the proposed amendments. The committee therefore strongly recommends that the National Assembly grants it permission to introduce a committee Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]