SABC Board nominations named
Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications voted unanimously for journalist and engineer Magatho Mello, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa president Cedric Gina, attorney Peter John Harris, current board member Suzanne Vos, journalist Pippa Green, IT law specialist Felleng Sekha and broadcast consultant Clare O’Neil.
The other five names — SA Communist Party member David Niddrie, former SABC board member Barbara Masekela, attorney and ANC Youth League member Clifford Motsepe, economist and former SABC board member Desmond Golding, former arts and culture minister Ben Ngubane — were rejected by the Democratic Alliance, the Congress of the People and the Independent Democrats.
The 12 names will be debated by the National Assembly, before being sent to President Jacob Zuma for approval.
ANC committee member Eric Kholwane appealed for the public to back the new board.
“I would like to appeal to the broadcaster, ourselves, civil society, public broadcaster employees and all other interested parties to support this board, with the soul purpose to steer this ship from the troubled waters,” he said.
“We need to make sure the right of our people to receive information is not compromised.”
He said the ANC had been “accommodating” to nominees from opposition parties.
“These are the best 12 who can best serve this country, who can take the SABC from where it is,” Kholwane said.
“People must not talk as if the ANC has taken people from the ANC only… we have accommodated some of the nominations from the opposition parties, but they are not saying so.”
Another ANC committee member, Johnny de Lange, said all the candidates were excellent, including those of opposition parties.
“The five candidates being nominated by opposition — we think all those are good candidates — all have merit.
“If we had 16 members of the board, they would have been included.”
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille said several in camera meetings we held with the ANC in an attempt to reach consensus on the 12 names.
“We were really hoping that politics was not going to mess up things again,” she said, bemoaning the ANC’s “insistence” on including its alliance partners as candidates on the list.
De Lille objected to the names of the SACP’s Niddrie, and Motsepe, an ANC Youth League member.
“I want to say from the opposition side that we object to the name of Mr Niddrie, who has been a nomination by the SACP.
“The SACP has never tested its strength in an election. It is not our problem that they are in alliance with the ANC.
“We also have a problem with Motsepe who is the only young person on list, but is also representing the ANCYL.”
Democratic Alliance committee member Niekie van den Bergh said he was disappointed by the “clear politicisation of the process”.
Van den Bergh said he did not want to “say anything bad” about the candidates. They were all good candidates, “but I think there are stronger candidates on the board”.
“The sour thing at the end of this process, is the clear politicisation of the whole process. But that is why we are here, we are politicians. That is a reality, politics runs at the end.”
The committee had received 230 nominations for the board positions. It then knocked those down to a shortlist of 31.
The SABC is seeking a multi billion rand bailout from the government. Its last non-executive board was dissolved earlier this year. It is currently being run by a six member interim board.
SABC Board nominees – give your views
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