The DA would often want us to put forward people that they prefer and every time that we put forward credible South Africans, especially educated, powerful, black African women or any other, they sometimes have serious objections to that. [Interjections.] You see! They have serious objection to that and that is how then this issue created this particular problem.
However, what we then did is in fact that after the interviewing and selection process, we had the best candidates. We had followed the process to the letter and whoever nominated who is not the issue because the guideline says every South African, black or white, does qualify to nominate anybody to be in the Board of the SABC and that board must then carry its mandate.
Fundamental to the challenges of the SABC is, firstly to provide information that is credible, fair, balanced and that can then inform the society as we move. Secondly, it is to even educate the population of the country and entertain them through various programmes and the people that we have selected are the best.
What the motion wants to do is to try and tarnish the images not only of the candidates concerned, but also images of men and women who are credible, powerful and good that we believe can actually achieve the mandates as expected.
Most importantly, we believe that the broadcaster must do one of the fundamentals contained in the African Union Commission on Human and People's Rights which talks about freedom of expression that is also contained on the United Nations ... [Interjections.]