Chairperson, what is clear from this committee report and the events that had transpired in the past few weeks is that there is a serious conflict in the upper echelons of the SABC. The board as the ultimate authority should take responsibility for allowing this conflict to spiral out of control. I, however, must hasten to add that the source of this conflict seems to revolve around the factional infighting of the ANC with certain people in institutions like the SABC being viewed as members of the faction that has fallen into disfavour.
Despite the many valid concerns regarding the SABC, which are alluded to in the committee report, one can't help but notice that these concerns are only now deemed critical enough to warrant drastic action from the side of the committee. We also have our reservations about the conduct of the SABC, and hope that any changes to the membership of the board or the activities of the board will translate in a marked change in the conduct of the SABC as a whole, especially the news department.
For us the solution is not for one politically biased board to be replaced with another that is more acceptable to the ruling faction. The board of the SABC as well as the staff of the SABC need to unshackle themselves from the long history of compliance to whosoever is ruling the country.
The SABC is the public broadcaster, and its first and only concern should be the needs of the public. The culture of pre-emptive self-censorship and blinkered pandering to the perceived expressed wishes of the ruling party must come to an end. The UDM does not support this report and will not be party to the vote of no confidence proposed by the ruling party. Thank you.