Chairperson, hon members, as the Portfolio Committee on Communications, we executed our duties as permitted by law on the selection of members of the SA Broadcasting Corporation board. Advertising, shortlisting, and interviews were held which finally came up with names that we agreed we can propose to Parliament. We came to Parliament with the list of names although there were clouds hanging over some names.
We proposed those names to be voted for by this House. This House voted for those which were eventually signed in by the President and the board officially resumed their duties as of 1 January 2008.
Yaqala inkathazo ngalelo langa. Ekuqaleni kukaFebruwari 2008, kwaba khona umhlangano weBhodi wokuqala obizwa ngokuthiwa yi-Induction workshop. Laliphelele iBhodi kulo mhlangano. Uma ngithi laliphelele, ngisho ukuthi kwakukhona izinhlangothi zombili okungabaphathi abaholwa umpathi jikelele oyinhloko kanye nalaba abakhethwe yiPhalamende abayishumi nambili. Kwaba umhlangano onsuku mbili befundiswa abasha ukusebenza kweMinyango ye-SA Broadcasting Corporation, i-SABC, nezinhloko zayo. Kwaba sengathi izinto zizohamba kahle kanti asibuzanga elangeni.
Ngomhla zingama-29 kuMashi 2008, saba nomhlangano kuleli Bhodi bangafika bonke njengoba sasibazi beyishumi nambili. Emhlanganweni wokuqala nje sasicele ukuthi kube khona nabe-Premier Soccer League ukuze basichazele kahle ngodaba lokulahleka kwelungelo lokusakazwa komabonakude kwemidlalo yebhola lezinyawo. Ngaphambi komhlangano sathola incwadi ebhalwe umphathi jikelele ebuza ukuthi ukuphapha kwani lokhu esikwenzayo? Simusaphi lo muntu we-PSL? Wasabisa ngokuthi angase angezi uma kuza nomuntu we-PSL kodwa saqhubeka nokumletha phansi kwaleso simo.
Kulowo mhlangano ikomidi lethu lalinemibuzo eminingi elalifuna ukuyibuza iBhodi lakwaSABC. Nansi eminye yemibuzo: Udaba lwe-SABC namahhovisi ase- Seaboard lapha kwakubikwa ukuxabana kwezinhlanga kuze kungenele umthelela wezepolitiki. Okwesibili, udaba lwe-SABC namahhovisi ase-Free State ngoba nalapho kunezindaba ezijulile. Okwesithathu, sifuna ukwazi ngezinyathelo ezathathwa kulandela izincomo zeKhomishana ka-Marcus Sisulu lapho wayethe akuxoshwe uDokotela uSnuki Zikalala ngoba esolwa ngonyawo lwemfene. Okwesine, sifuna ukwazi ngamagama aziswana ayezwakale emthonjeni yabezindaba ethi uMmeli uDali Mpofu benoDkt uSnuki Zikala bezwakala bethi uma kungaphumelela uQabane uZuma - beze bembhuqa bemfanisa nenkawu - bona bosula ezikhundleni zabo. Sasifuna bacacise kulokhu. Kepha emhlanganweni, uSihlalo waleli Bhodi uNksz Mkhonza wavele wathi abazukuphendula nowodwa wale mibuzo ngoba iBhodi yabo iseyintsha. Wathi bayobuya basiphendule.
Ngomhla zizine ku-Ephreli, yena lowo Sihlalo uNksz Mkhonza wabhala imemorandamu igxeka ukusebenza kukaMmeli uDali Mpofu isho nokuthi uDali uyisikhubekiso ekusebenzeni kwakhe kungcono axoshwe, futhi usezikhethe yena noChristine Qunta no-Lagadien ukuba baphenye uDali Mpofu ukuze bathole izaba zokumxosha.
Ngomhlaka zingama-29 Ephreli, kwaba nomhlangano weBhodi elingaphelele, bengekho abaphathi lapho okwahletshwa khona ngabaphathi kulowo mhlangano. Ukukhuluma ngomuntu engekho kufana nokuhleba uma ungambizanga ngamabomu ekhona. Kwasabona laba bakhethwa beBhodi babengaphelele kuxoxwa ngale memorandamu eyayibhalwe usihlalo enxenxa abanye ukuba bameseke emizamweni yakhe yokuketula uDali. Abanye abayithandanga le nto. IBhodi lahlukana phakathi kwaba abayisikhombisa ngala kanye bayisihlanu ngale.
Ngomhla ziyi-13 Ephreli, le memorandamu yaputshukela kwabemithombo yezindaba. Ukusukela ngomhla zizine kuze kube umhla ziyi-13, leyo memorandamu yayingakafiki ezandleni zikaDali Mpofu. Ngomhla zingama-29 Ephreli 2008, i-SABC kwakufanele izokwethula isu lezinhlelo kanye nesabiwomali ezithebeni zekomiti. Bafika. IBhodi nabaphathi babemunye khona benhlanhlaka. Kwacaca ukuthi leli su lezinhlelo abathi bazolethula akuvunyelwene ngalo. Ikomiti lacela ukuthi beze sebephelele emhlanganweni wangakusasa. Ngomhla zingama-30 Ephreli, iningi labakhethwa beBhodi lafika emhlanganweni. Sekuxoxwa kwacaca ukuthi ibhodi lehlukene kabili - kukhona uMkhonza, uQunta, uLagadien abapheka futhi baxove izinto kwa-SABC. Abanye izimvu ezilandela osekushiwo. Emhlanganweni kwaba yingxovangxova phakathi kweBhodi nabaphathi. Usihlalo webhodi athi kukhona uphenyo abuye athi alukho, uDali athi namanje akakayitholi kwaleyo memorandamu uyifunda emaphepheni. Sangazi ukuthi silalele bani siyeke bani siyikomidi.
Kwacaca kodwa ukuthi ubudlelwano phakathi kwabo abusophinde bulunge ngenxa yokwehluleka kweBhodi ukukhomba indlela. Leli Bhodi iqeqeba labantu elingayazi into eliyenzayo futhi elingeke liphinde lilungiseke. Njengekomidi, sanquma ivoti yokungabethembi phecelezi Vote of no confidence kubona. Emva kwalokho, uDali Mpofu waxosha uSnuki Zikalala ntambana. Kwathi ngabo lobo busuku bangalala, iBhodi laxosha yena Dali lowo. [Uhleko.] Konakele e-Auckland Park, umaxoshaxoshana. [Uhleko.]
Umahluleli omkhulu wenkantolo eGoli uvumelene nathi siyikomidi ukuthi leli Bhodi umsangano nje. Izinqumo elizithathayo lizithatha limi ngezinyawo. Okubi kakhulu uSihlalo waleli Bhodi noma kunini nje akayiboni inkinga. Uma simshaya ngevoti lokungamethembi, uthi kuzoqhubeka izinto njengenjwayelo. Esinqumweni sikamehluleli uthi ayikho into enzima, bazolungisa into athe umehluleli ayihambanga kahle baphinde bamxoshe futhi uDali. Akanandaba nezindleko zecala. Sithi-ke siyikomidi kwanele manje ukudlala umjikajo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[And it was on that very first day that the problem started. At the beginning of February 2008, there was an induction workshop. All members of the board were present in that workshop. When I say the board members were all present, I mean that both parties were there, a team of managers led by the Group CEO as well as the other twelve board members who are elected by Parliament. They held a two-day workshop where new members were familiarised with the workings of the SABC and its heads of departments. Initially we thought that things would be alright, but we were wrong.
On 29 March 2008, we had a meeting with the board, but not all of them showed up. In that first meeting, we had asked the Premier Soccer League to send us one of their own people to explain to us how the SABC had lost the soccer broadcasting rights. And just before the meeting could sit, we received a letter from the Group CEO asking us why we were so meddlesome in things that did not concern us. He wanted to know our reason for requesting the presence of a person from the PSL. And he also threatened us that he might not even attend the meeting if we still insisted on having a representative from the PSL, but we went on to invite the PSL despite all that.
We had many questions that we as a committee wanted to ask the SABC board. Here are some of them: The issue of the SABC offices in Sea Point where it was reported that there were racial tensions amongst the groups and this was said to have included political bias. Secondly, there was the issue of the SABC and its Free State office - since it is known that there are also sensitive issues there. Thirdly, we wanted to know what steps were taken following the recommendations of the commission chaired by Sisulu and Marcus that Dr Snuki Zikalala should be fired because he was found to have acted inappropriately. Fourthly, we wanted to know about the derogatory words mentioned in the press which were allegedly uttered by both Adv Dali Mpofu and Dr Snuki Zikalala that if Comrade Zuma wins - whom they had allegedly likened to an ape - they would resign from their positions.
We wanted them to give clarity on this matter. But, in the meeting, the chairperson of the board, Ms Mkhonza, just said that they would not respond to any of these questions because the board was still new. She said they would respond at a later stage.
But, on the 4 April, the same chairperson, Ms Mkhonza, wrote a memorandum criticizing Adv Dali Mpofu's work. It further stated that Adv Mpofu was a thorn in her side and it recommended that he be fired. She had already appointed herself, Christine Qunta and Lagadien to investigate Dali Mpofu so that they could find leverage to fire him. On 29 April, a meeting of the board was held and it comprised non-executive board members and that is when the back-stabbing of the executive members of the board was done. Talking about someone in their absence is tantamount to back-stabbing especially if you deliberately leave that person out. And not all non-executive members of the board were present when that memorandum was discussed where the chairperson was bidding other members to help her in her mission to topple Dali. Some did not like this and the board was divided into camps of seven members on the one side and five members on the other side.
On 13 April the very same memorandum was leaked to the press. As from 4 to 13 April, that memorandum had not been given to Dali Mpofu yet. On 29 April 2008, the SABC was supposed to come and present its strategic plan and its budget to the committee. The board presented itself. They seemed very united even though they were divided. It became clear that the strategic plan which they had to present was not agreed upon, and the committee requested that the whole SABC board be present at the following day's meeting.
On 30 April, most non-executive board members were present in that meeting. It became clear during the discussions that the board was divided into two - on the one hand it was Mkhonza, Qunta and Lagadien who were conspiring and confusing matters at the SABC, and others were just merely seconding what had been presented. That meeting was a mess between the non-executive members of the board and the executive members. The chairperson was confusing those at the meeting by constantly saying there was an investigation going on and, at the same time she would also say there was none. And Dali on the other hand would say that he had not yet received the memorandum, but he had only read about it in the newspapers. As a committee we did not know who to believe and who not to.
It became clear that the relations between them would never improve because the board was unable to give guidance. This board is just a group of clueless people who do not know what they are doing and it will never come right. As a committee, we have decided to cast a vote of no confidence in this board. After that, in the evening, Dali Mpofu suspended Snuki Zikalala. And, in turn, the board couldn't sleep, and it suspended Dali that same night. [Applause.] Something is wrong in Auckland Park; they are playing a firing game. [Applause.]
A judge in a Johannesburg High Court agreed with us as a committee that this board is just a nuisance. The decisions they are taking are inconclusive. And worst of all is that the chairperson of this board does not seem to see any problem in all this. When we cast the vote of no confidence in the board, she said that things would go on as usual. And, as far as the High Court's ruling is concerned, she merely said there was nothing difficult there; they will simply follow the correct procedure and suspend Dali again. She does not seem to care about the expenses of the case. Therefore, as the committee, we are saying it is enough. The game is over.]
Now is the time!
Abesule bonke abebhodi ezikhundleni zabo. Asisabadingi. Abahambe. Sesiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] [All board members must resign; we don't need them anymore. Let them go. We have had enough. [Applause.]]