SABC board under fire
The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) board should step down with immediate effect, union members said on Friday.
The board had brought the SABC into disrepute and should therefore resign, the Broadcast, Electronic , Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) said.
Spokesperson Hannes du Buisson said it was not competent to oversee such an important organisation. If the board did not resign the government should dissolve it.
Buisson warned that the union would take "stronger action to force stability" in the organisation if the board was maintained.
The board’s chairperson should be held liable for "wasting" legal costs incurred while defending their decision to fire CEO Dali Mpofu.
"The chairperson of the board and her followers have dealt recklessly with the SABC’s money and they cannot be trusted to oversee and make financial decisions that may severely affect the SABC and its employees," Buisson said.
Meanwhile the Times reported on Friday that senior SABC staff had called for a commission of inquiry to look into the problems at the broadcaster.
The report said staff had warned there would be a "mass exodus" of skilled people due to an "intractable problem".
Senior members of staff had written a memorandum calling for a commission of inquiry.
According to the report the inquiry’s terms of reference should include an analysis of the financial effects of the crisis and its effect on staff morale.
Other issues to be explored included the allocation of responsibility between the board and management.
Efforts to get comment from board chairwoman Kanyisiwe Mkonza were unsuccessful.
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