I'm waiting for absolute silence in the House. [Interjections.]
Mr Speaker, Deputy President of the Republic, executive members and Members of Parliament and our guests, around August 2008 I was called for an interview at the SABC. The question that was asked was: What was our intention as a committee of making amendments to the Broadcasting Act?
I responded honestly to that question. I said that Parliament did not make laws only for them not to bite. We are not going to hesitate after the amendments have been passed into law. If the board falters, we will act. We are not going to hesitate. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
I indicated that we could not bury our heads in the sand and pretend that all was well at Auckland Park. We should act, and indeed we should have acted earlier.
What I fail to understand, on the part of other quarters here in the House, is the notion that seeks to blame other organisations in the public when they voice their opinions or their views about the SABC - the board that is appointed by this Parliament, public representatives of the people of the Republic. One of the mandates which they must carry out is to ensure that they run this board efficiently in the interests of the public.
Indeed, our constituencies, which have put us in Parliament, have the right to raise issues when they see that the board cannot perform as is expected. [Interjections.] That will not preclude the SA Communist Party from echoing its views ... that does not exclude the Young Communist League from echoing its views, or any organisation in the public space. [Interjections.]
Let me deal with the issues. Mr Ashwin Trikamjee, one of the esteemed members of the board, in his apology for not attending the inquiry on 23 June 2009, attached a memoir that says, amongst other things:
The suspension and subsequent dismissal of the CEO added pressure as it resulted in a stand-off with management. This was followed by the resignations of Mr Vundla, Ms Qunta and Ms Lagardien. These significant instances led to the board having problems with a quorum. The present situation is that nine board members have resigned.
Effectively the board does not make a quorum.
Resigned members still have a fiduciary duty to serve on the board, but the fact of the matter is that they were no longer attending the meetings of the board, and that rendered the board nonfunctional. That is what he said.
Let us deal with facts. Mr Bheki Khumalo, in his letter to the chairperson and other board members on the resignation of some of the board members, said:
The resignation of board members has to do undoubtedly with their lack of confidence in the leadership of the chairperson.
Christine was on Radio 2000 news last week ... attacking the poor leadership of the chairperson of the board and citing it as the reason that prompted her to resign ...
Not Polokwane; not interference from the ANC. [Interjections.]
He continued to say:
In effect, therefore, out of the 11 other nonexecutive board members, four persons ...