Relief at SABC as Kanyi Mkonza exits

Jane Duncan, Highway Africa Chair of Media and Information Society at Rhodes University, told Bizcommunity.com this morning: “I think it is in the best interests of the SABC for her to have stepped down, as she has not demonstrated the level of leadership necessary to guide the SABC out of its current crisis.

“The board members who resigned have been highly critical of her leadership style, as well as her conduct, so it would appear that she did not even enjoy the confidence of her own board members. This situation was a recipe for ongoing instability.”

“Now the board as a whole still needs to be held to account for the mess that the SABC is in at the moment.”

Skills lacking

The SABC last night issued a statement, saying that Mkonza has decided to step down from this position following Thursday's meeting, and replaced - for now - by board member Ashwin Trikamjee. However, Mkonza will continue to be a member of the board.

Save our SABC Coalition spokesperson Kate Skinner believes Mkonza lacked capacity to manage an organisation as massive as the SABC. “The SABC is a complex, huge organisation and Kanyi didn't have the management skills and experience to run it. She herself said that she was surprised when she was appointed chair.

“It didn't help that there was political interference in the appointment of the board. It made her job even more difficult. The board lacked legitimacy and it made it difficult for the board as a whole to hold management to account. Her attempts at firing Dali however made things even worse.

“She further alienated management and SABC funds were wasted in the process. There were certainly problems with Dali Mpofu [former CEO] but she should have the followed the correct procedures.”

Mkonza should not be alone

Mkonza's several attempts to fire Mpofu led to a litany of court battles, which insiders said cost the public broadcaster close to R15 million in legal fees - and added to the organisation's R800 million deficit.

Skinner pointed out removing Kanyi is only a tiny step forward. “She has not damaged the SABC on her own. A lot of people and organisations, including Parliament and ICASA, need to take responsibility for that.

“Second, the board as a collective should take responsibility for the financial crisis. They should have held management to account more effectively. Management also needs to take responsibility for mismanaging the institution.

Out, but still ‘in'

Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) director William Bird said it was amazing that Mkonza resigned as board chair but remains a board member.

“I am really not sure what to make of this decision. Only at the SABC do we have a result where in the midst of a crisis the decision taken is that the person is out but still in. The key question for MMA is: what message does this send to ordinary citizens?

“If you pass a vote of no confidence in someone, how does this only extend to their role as chairperson and not as a board member? If there are conflicts between board members how will retaining her on the board help resolve those?

“In a time of crisis surely we need clear decisive actions and stability, yet we find ourselves now with an SABC board that has an acting chairperson, and an acting CEO and acting head of news.

For more:

• IOL: Mkonza resigns as SABC chairperson… SABC board chairperson Kanyi Mkonza has bowed to pressure and resigned.