SABC Board Inquiry Interim Report: consideration of responses

Meeting report

Consideration of responses Committee’s Interim Report

The Chairperson welcomed everyone and indicated that only four people had made written submissions to the Committee: the SABC8, Mr Phil Molefe, Mr Dumile Matheza and Mr Sipho Masinga. The deadline for comments (submissions) on the Committee's draft report is Thursday, the 16th of February. So, more submissions were expected.

Mr M Waters (DA) indicated that today’s meeting was "premature" as the deadline for supplementary submissions is Thursday.

Mr N Singh (IFP) mentioned that the purpose of the meeting today was merely about assessing the progress that had been made by the Committee before the deadline date.

Mr S Swart (ACDP) wanted the Committee to give itself time to deal with conflicting versions of evidence that had been presented. The Committee should also take into consideration that there is still a need to deal with the recommendations to be reflected in the report and this was likely to consume more time.  

Mr P Chauke (ANC) said that he had noted that the New Age would also be making a submission to the Committee.

Dr M Khoza (ANC) commented that the Committee must get a legal opinion on SABC's Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) that was used to appoint acting executives.

The Chairperson noted that he had written to the Portfolio Committee on Communications in order to ascertain how the SABC was funding its court cases. The Committee had already received information that the SABC had "insurance policy" to fund court cases although this still needed to be verified.

Ms Zuraya Adhikarie, Parliamentary Legal Adviser, told the Committee that Members would have to take a decision about conflicting evidence especially those between Dr Ngubane and Mr Molefe and Dr Ngubane and Mr Mvoko)

Mr J Mahlangu (ANC) wanted to know how it was possible for SABC to appeal the Hlaudi Motsoeneng matter while this process was still ongoing. The decision to appeal should have been taken by a board and there is currently no board at the SABC. It was clear that the SABC is “running amok”, and there seemed to be no accountability at all. It would important to know if the MOI allowed executives to challenge court rulings. The reality is that when people take reckless decisions, as it happened at SABC, they should pay out of their own pockets.

Mr Singh commented that there seemed to be no good faith from those at the SABC and this was clear from a quote that was attributed to Mr Kaizer Kganyago in the media.

Mr F Mokoena (EFF) said that the acting SABC CEO, Mr James Aguma, and spokesman, Mr Kaizer Kganyago, should be afforded a platform to explain the decision to appeal to the case despite the fact that there was no board at the SABC.

Mr Chauke pointed out that there was an issue of contracts, fraudulent contracts as we speak at the SABC and this was a matter that should be dealt with by the Portfolio Committee on Communications.

Mr P Van Damme (DA) highlighted that it was "contemptuous" of Parliament for SABC to be signing contracts around Christmas while the inquiry was still on.

The Chairperson concluded that the cut-off time for supplementary submissions was 5pm on Thursday (16th Feb). The Committee was scheduled to reconvene on 22 February to finalise its report and send it to the National Assembly.

The meeting was adjourned.