Speaker, as Cope, we have to raise the alarm over the cloud of secrecy that has been drawn over the appointment of an acting group chief executive officer for the SA Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, after Ms Mokhobo resigned at the end of January.
Attempts to call the SABC board to account to the communications committee have been deliberately frustrated over recent weeks. Therefore, we have no option but to raise the matter here in the National Assembly and we do so hoping to solicit a response from the executive.
The Minister or the Deputy Minister must today publicly confirm or deny that there are moves afoot to appoint one of the board members to serve as the acting group CEO. They should know, because the Minister said yesterday that he had met with them on 24 February.
If a board member is appointed as acting group CEO of the SABC, such an appointment will constitute a serious conflict of interest and fly in the face of sound corporate governance principles, as contained in the King III report. Even if the board member were to resign with immediate effect, the appointment would still constitute a serious breach of the board members' fiduciary responsibilities, which are applicable to all company directors. Company directors are compelled by law to avoid all conflict of interests with the company. Until such time as an open process is followed to attract the best possible, independent, results-driven individuals with a proven track record to serve on the SABC executive, the once proud public broadcaster will continue to move from one scandal to the next. We want answers. Thank you, Speaker. [Time expired.]