Crisis at the SABC: future prospects
John Perlman blacklisted by Snuki Zikalala during the blacklisting saga
Andiswa Makanda speculates on the future of the SABC which continues to find itself in the midst of a whole series of controversies.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) post-1994 democratic elections was said to be a public broadcaster, independent of the state and government. However, what one sees is a continuation of the apartheid legacy, where the SABC was a mouthpiece of the ruling National Party. Post-1994 the SABC was ‘transformed’ and the motivation for the transformation was to get rid of the apartheid legacy. However, the SABC is caught up in a mix of controversies and politicking which makes it impossible for the broadcaster to function properly as a public broadcaster.
The SABC has been under a lot of controversies and often criticized as the mouthpiece of the African National Congress (ANC). This was evident in the whole blacklisting saga, where a number of journalists were blacklisted for being too critical of government. The SABC has also been criticized of appointing ANC members and supporters in its executive and news division, which was seen in the appointment of former CEO Dali Mpofu. Dali Mpofu has been criticized of being a weak CEO who often misused funds which led to the SABC going into a financial crisis. This was also evidenced by speculations that former President Mbeki was not to be featured on SABC.
Recently, there have been controversies centering the new Head of News, Phil Molefe who is said to be a member of the ANC. It is alleged that he was appointed by Ben Ngubane, an ANC member who was appointed by President Zuma. The controversy stems from the fact that the SABC’s CEO, Solly Mokoetle, was appointed the Head of News without consulting the Board. The appointment, it must be noted, was backed by the SABC Board chairperson, Ben Ngubane. On top of that the SABC Board has been rendered dysfunctional under the leadership of Ben Ngubane. In an article in the Mail & Guardian, it is reported that the appointment had created strife in the Board because they were not informed. That being said, despite the SABC going through a financial crisis, Mokoetle gave the staff members R1,000 bonuses for the overwork they did during the World Cup.
Solly Mokoetle has also been accused of not drafting a turnaround strategy and present it to the Board. There are speculations that Ben Ngubane and Solly Mokoetle would have to answer to Parliament and may be fired. The possibilities of this seem far and wide because the majority seats in parliament are held by the ANC and if the ANC want Ngubane and Mokoetle there then it shall be so, unless there can be rules with regards to voting changed to veto the power of the ANC. The ANC will win through majority vote in Parliament, although in some instances it may not be absolute. Mokoetle’s defence is that the Board had bombarded him with a lot of emails and meetings which made it impossible for him to draft a turnaround strategy.
The Communication Committee in Parliament is to have a private meeting concerning these issues. Now, it is in the public interest that the SABCs’ activities be held in public because it is the public that funds the SABC. The SABC also held a private meeting concerning the issue where the press and other media were excluded. A mere press statement is not enough, given the way these are always spun around and censored. The print media have a public interest mandate to report on what goes on in the SABC. The SABC cannot claim to be public, where the public is the major shareholder, and then decide to hold private meetings on issues that would severely hamper the SABC.
The SABC is not without its controversies. These issues have raised a lot of concern in the functioning of the SABC when management is busy politicking. It does not make it right for Ngubane to hire the Head of News without consulting the Board. The position is a very crucial one which requires an impartial, neutral person who is not in alliance with the ruling party or its members. It is no wonder that the SABC news is filled with news that is neither uncritical nor analytical and is a parade of government work. A former Board member in the article was quoted saying that the news is controlled by government. The SABC needs a lot of transformation, including its programming. It will be impossible to strengthen the SABC while its management is busy politicking. Some rules concerning the appointment of the Board and management need to be changed to veto the power of the ANC and government so that the SABC could have hard-hitting news that is critical of government and critical in its reporting. I am waiting to read how this story will unfold and what the future for the SABC will hold. Will the Head of News be fired?