Permanent SABC board nomination process flawed - coalition

The group has called on Parliament to extend the deadline to August 31 and ensure that notices are carried in all key national and provincial newspapers, including the Daily Sun, and announcements are made on free-to-air TV channels and community radio stations.

Professor Tawana Kupe, Wits University's Dean of Humanities and member of the working group, told Bizcommunity.com yesterday, 12 July 2009: "We have to make sure that as many South Africans as possible know and have a real chance to nominate. Across the world in democratic countries, such processes are run properly to deepen ownership and democratic participation.

"For the portfolio committee to choose from a wide pool they need to advertise more broadly and for a longer period. They must not choose from a pool of who were nominated by the few who happened to see the few adverts."

Last week Friday, ‘small, black and white adverts' for nominations were ‘tucked away' in the Mail & Guardian and Star newspapers, and were due to appear yesterday in Rapport and Sunday Times.

Prof Kupe added: "In the Sunday Times the notice is hidden in the sports section on page 8. Effectively, Parliament is giving South Africans less than three weeks during a school holiday to nominate. And I don't agree it is costly to advertise more broadly. We have seen more expensive full-page colour adverts for speeches and events by MECs.

Parliament's motives questioned

"Here it is the case of a board for the largest publicly-owned media organisation that reaches all South Africans. They also give the public a sense of involvement and therefore ownership of the SABC which they nominally own."

Save our SABC Coalition is a consortium of a number of Cosatu-affiliated trade unions, independent producer organisations, community-based organisations and NGOs such as FXI, MMA, MISA, NCRF, as well as a number of academic and independent experts.

Many observers questioned Parliament's motives not to place such adverts in other major newspapers, such as Daily Sun, the country's biggest-selling publication, and Prof Kupe wondered why even City Press, which also reaches many people and is half the price of M & G and Sunday Times, was also omitted.

Parliamentary portfolio committee on communications chair Ismail Vadi was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

However, coalition spokesperson Kate Skinner told Bizcommunity.com: "I don't think there are any cynical reasons for Parliament not advertising in the Daily Sun and other publications.

Nominees must be open to scrutiny

"I think they are just following their default drive. The problem is that they haven't thought deeply enough about how to ensure that the nomination process is as public a process as possible.

"We are hoping now that they will really apply their minds and take our suggestions on board and spend a bit more money.

"Parliament does have a budget for this - it needs to use it. In previous years the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications has under-spent its budget. We can't allow them to do that this year."

Furthermore, the coalition wants the names of nominators and nominees and all CVs of short-listed nominees to be made public through the Parliament website and other accessible websites for public scrutiny.

In addition, it wants all interviews to be televised and put on free-to-air radio and TV channels at times when the majority of people are watching, and finally, that MPs give reasons for their choices of the final shortlist.

Prof Kupe explained: "Public interviews for the board are critical to avoid allegations of manipulation of the process. It will prevent the insertion of names or appointment of people who performed dismally."

SABC suspends staff; meets unions on salary issue

Meanwhile, the SABC announced on Friday 10 July that it had suspended its general manager for news resources, Rapitse Montsho, pending the outcome of an investigation. This suspension followed that on Thursday of the broadcaster's News International Channel head, Dr Saul Pelle, and that channel's news editor, Montlenyane Diphoko.

On the union front, the SABC executive management and the unions met on Friday to negotiate the salary increase for this financial year. In a statement issued on Friday, the SABC says that its management believes that there has been progress which resulted in all parties agreeing to report back to their constituencies today, Monday 13 July 2009.