A showdown is expected in Parliament on Tuesday when the SABC board, all but paralysed by a stand-off between its chairman, Ben Ngubane, and its other members appear before the National Assembly's committee on communications. by Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
Committee chairman Ismail Vadi (ANC) said at the weekend it had been decided to call the board to appear before MPs concerning the problems plaguing the SABC.
Corporate governance battles are threatening to paralyse the public broadcaster.
Board members have submitted a comprehensive report detailing difficulties with Ngubane and SABC group CEO Solly Mokoetle's failure to draw up a turnaround plan for the broadcaster.
The National Treasury gave the SABC a loan guarantee of R1.47-billion to ease its financial crisis, but this was pegged to stringent conditions.
The SABC has secured a loan for R1bn from Nedbank, with a government guarantee, but the Treasury will not release the guarantee for the R473-million until a turnaround strategy is in place.
Vadi's committee wants the board to explain the infighting, the controversial appointment of Phil Molefe as head of news - a decision taken unilaterally by Ngubane and Mokoetle, and later nullified by the 11 members of the board - and the turnaround plan.
The committee will have to take a decision about resolving the impasse between the board and Ngubane.
The board members adopted a resolution on May 22 that said the relationship had suffered an "irreconcilable breakdown" after Molefe's appointment.
The Communication Workers Union and the Save Our SABC Coalition have written to the committee, raising serious concerns about the crisis.
Vadi said he would table all the letters sent to him at tomorrow's meeting, the initial part of which he said would be held behind closed doors.
The rest of the meeting would be open to the media and the public, Vadi said.
It is expected that Ngubane will come under fire from board members over Molefe's bungled appointment.
Under the SABC's articles of association, it is the full board that has to approve such a senior appointment, but this did not happen.
Ngubane has publicly defended his decision about Molefe. Two weeks ago on SAfm, he accused board members of stalling the process and said Molefe had come tops in the interviewing process.
He said three of the five board members on the interviewing panel had refused to score the candidates, so he had no choice but to exercise his authority and appoint Molefe.
This has been disputed by the rest of the board.
Ngubane, a former ambassador to Japan, has denied that he acted on instructions from the Union Buildings to appoint Molefe, a veteran journalist who had been acting in the position since April last year, when Snuki Zikalala left.
* This article was originally published on page 5 of The Star on August 23, 2010
