ANC, coalition welcome final SABC board list

More transparent

The coalition said this time around the process included significantly more public participation and was more transparent than the previous board selection processes.

“Parliament heeded our calls for more time as regards to the nomination process, increased publicity around the nomination process, including the use of public service announcements on SABC radio,” the coalition, which includes groups and academics such as Media Monitoring Africa, the Freedom of Expression Institute, and Wits University's Prof Tawana Kupe, said.

“Ultimately, we believe this has led to a board that combines skills, competencies and experience appropriate to the governance of an important public institution and is fairly representative of different social interests in our society.

“Going forward we hope that this public nomination and selection process will ensure that the board feels more accountable to the general public than previous boards have and, that ultimately, this translates into a more efficiently and effectively run institution that produces excellent citizen-orientated programming for all South Africans.”

Conflict of interest

This statement is likely to raise a few eyebrows, given that coalition coordinator Kate Skinner two weeks ago complained to Bizcommunity.com that the shortlist process had some conflict of interest as it contained names of people occupying senior positions in government.

Meanwhile, the ANC said: “The finalisation of the list is a culmination of a transparent, open and inclusive selection process with a view to find suitably qualified and capable individuals to provide the much needed leadership to the public broadcaster.

“It is also serves as a culmination of a swift process of returning the SABC back to its normal and efficient operational state, following a catalogue of financial and leadership challenges at the institution.

“We are satisfied that the selected team is representative of the broader South African demography and possesses a wide array of skills necessary to transform the institution.”

However, opposition parties last week reacted with anger and disappointment to the nomination of certain members who they felt were ‘too close to the ANC'.

Rise above

But the ANC urged all parties to rise above about what it called ‘petty politicking' and unite behind the new board in the ‘interest of the SABC and the nation'.

The board's final list includes:

• David Niddrie (SACP member)
  
• Barbara Masekela (corporate governance)
  
• Clifford Motsepe (ANCYL member)
  
• Magatho Mello (engineering and management)
  
• Cedric Gina (NUM president)
  
• Dr Ben Ngubane (former arts and culture minister)
  
• Peter Harris (attorney)
  
• Suzanne Vos (current SABC interim board member, policy and corporate governance),
  
• Phillippa Green (journalist)
  
• Felleng Lorraine Sekha (legal, corporate governance and finance)
  
• Clare O'Neil (marketing) and
  
• Desmond Golding (economist and former SABC board member).