Voorsitter, almal in Suid-Afrika word deur 'n wet van hierdie Raad verplig om 'n televisielisensie te betaal. Watter seggenskap het Suid-Afrikaners daarna oor wat die SABC dan met hul geld maak? is die vraag. Dit is een van die redes waarom die SABC-raad verslag doen aan die Nasionale Vergadering, maar om 'n geloofwaardige en onafhanklike openbare uitsaaier te h, is dit baie belangrik dat dit baie duidelik moet wees dat daar 'n groot verskil is tussen "verslag doen aan" en "beheer uitoefen oor".
Sedert 1994 is ek lid van die portefeuljekomitee wat aanbevelings aan die President doen oor die aanstel van die SABC-raad. Tot onlangs het ek met entoesiasme daaraan deelgeneem en dit was 'n sinvolle oefening, waar kandidate op meriete oorweeg is en daar saam gekyk is na wat in die beste belang is van Suid-Afrikaanse radioluisteraars en televisiekykers. Die laaste keer - veral die laaste twee keer - was dit baie duidelik dat die ANC-lede baie spesifieke instruksies gekry het wie om aan te stel en wie nie, ongeag die meriete van 'n persoon of sy haglike vertoning in die onderhoud. Met daardie werkswyse mors u my tyd en u vernietig die SABC se geloofwaardigheid.
Nadat die arme ANC-lede van die komitee in November hulle opdragte van Minister Pahad uitgevoer het, en 'n raad aangestel het wat dan pro-Mbeki is, kies die ANC in Desember mnr Zuma in Limpopo. In April, drie maande later, kry dieselfde ANC-komiteelede nuwe opdragte. Nou moet die pro-Mbeki raad verwyder word en met 'n pro-Zuma raad vervang word. Wat 'n gekkespul! Waar hulle in Desember volle vertroue in die SABC-raadslede gehad het, het hulle in April skielik geen vertroue meer in hulle nie. Die ANC-lede is nou gedienstig aan die nuwe ANC-base.
Ek wil voorspel dat die Mbeki-raadslede en -werknemers, soos dr Zikalala, op die kort termyn waarskynlik gaan oorleef, maar die Zuma-ondersteuners op die lang termyn gaan wen. Maar in die groot prentjie, s ek vir u, in die proses vernietig u die geloofwaardigheid van die Parlement, van die portefeuljekomitee, van die SABC en van die openbare uitsaaier in Suid- Afrika. Dit is so jammer dat ons hierdie werkswyse op hierdie wyse volg. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Dr C P MULDER: Chairperson, everyone in South Africa is compelled by an Act of this Assembly to pay for a television licence. The question arises: After they have done so, do South Africans have a say in the matter of how the SABC uses its money? This is one of the reasons why the SABC board reports to the National Assembly. However, in order to have a credible and independent public broadcaster, it is very important that it should be clear that there is a big difference between "reporting to" and "exercising control over".
Since 1994, I have been a member of the portfolio committee that makes recommendations to the President on the appointment of the SABC board. Until recently, I enthusiastically participated in this process. It was a meaningful exercise, where candidates were considered on merit and together we looked at what was in the best interests of South African radio listeners and television viewers.
The last time - especially on the last two occasions - it became clear that the ANC members had very specific instructions about who to appoint and who not, irrespective of the merits of that person or his poor performance during the interview. With such a modus operandi you are wasting my time and destroying the credibility of the SABC.
After the poor ANC members of the committee had executed their orders from Minister Pahad in November, and appointed a council that was pro-Mbeki, the ANC elected Mr Zuma in Limpopo in December. In April, three months later, the same ANC committee members received new orders. Now the pro-Mbeki board has to be removed and replaced with a pro-Zuma board. What foolishness! Whereas they had full confidence in the members of the SABC board in December, all of a sudden, in April, they had no confidence in them at all. The ANC members are now bowing to the new ANC bosses.
I want to make a prediction that the Mbeki board members and employees, like Dr Zikalala, will in the short term most probably survive, but the Zuma supporters will win in the long term. But, in the bigger picture, I am telling you, you are destroying the credibility of Parliament, the portfolio committee and the SABC, the public broadcaster in South Africa, in the process. It is such a pity that we are doing things this way. I thank you.]