Madam Deputy Speaker, I think I need to clear something up. I think hon Kholwane has made a very crucial mistake if he thinks that the opposition, the DA in particular, has the same preoccupation with racial head-counting that the ANC does; that's an ANC thing, it's not our thing. Please don't force it on us like it's our thing, it really isn't. We went for skills and ability; your racial obsession is yours, please don't force it onto the other side of the House. [Applause.]
The report of the Auditor-General on the results of his investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement at the SABC has unearthed overwhelming amounts of rot at the public broadcaster. The SABC is supposed to be the pride of our nation and the voice of our people; yet, in the absence of sure and decisive leadership and effective parliamentary oversight, it was allowed to dwindle into an embarrassment for South Africa. Not only is the reputation of the broadcaster in tatters, but because it was ordinary workers who initially came forward with these allegations which had to be investigated by the Auditor-General, it is now also clear that morale amongst staff at the SABC is at an all-time low.
The DA did not support the dissolution of the original board and its replacement with an interim structure, because we knew that this had nothing to do with entrenching good governance at the SABC, but was instead an exercise in political reshuffling. The fact that the interim board has performed well in its task of stabilising the SABC doesn't take away from the fact that had Parliament worked on dealing with the SABC's problems much earlier no such stabilisation measures would have been necessary in the first place.
With regard to the way forward for this board from today, there are a number of ways in which it can now address the current crises facing the SABC. The most important of these are establishing and adhering to the highest good governance principles at the SABC; and projecting a strong and unified body with the muscle and political will to withstand external pressures of any kind, but particularly, political pressure from those who would seek to control and dictate news and current affairs policy at the SABC. The board must also move swiftly to address the crisis which is facing South Africa's independent producers, whom one interview candidate very aptly referred to as our nation's storytellers, and whom we know are dependent on the SABC for the bulk of their business; and it must also appoint or have significant input into the appointment of a new CEO and head of news, in order to prevent the historical frictions between the executive management and the nonexecutive board, which have arisen as a result of previous boards inheriting managers that they did not appoint themselves.
Most importantly of all, this Parliament must make sure that it takes its role as the SABC's oversight authority very seriously, and in this the DA will brook no compromises. The truth is that this Parliament failed miserably to provide effective oversight over the previous SABC board. It was, of course, much too preoccupied with conducting a political witch-hunt aimed at purging a brand-new board which it felt was aligned with then President Thabo Mbeki.
If the previous committee had been doing its job properly, it would have responded with the utmost urgency when the then chairperson of the board tried to report the financial irregularities at the SABC to Parliament in the first place in early 2008, but the board was instead subjected to a cynical political ambush by ANC MPs in the committee, setting South Africa down this long and arduous path that has led us to where we stand today.
The DA, for its part, will do its utmost to prevent us from having to go down this road at the SABC again. I thank you.