SABC board: Media watchdog opposing Ramaphosa’s appointment process

The new members of the SABC board yesterday received their letters of appointment from the department of communication and digital technologies, ending fears they could work without official confirmation.

It was initially feared the board couldn’t constitute because the new members had yet to sign the letters to confirm their availability.

But the department had not yet confirmed if all members were still available, and their legal status had not been confirm in the Government Gazette.

READ MORE: Ramaphosa appoints new SABC board – see who made the cut

Watchdog

But a media watchdog, Media Monitoring Africa, is challenging the process in the Constitutional Court, particularly the president’s authority to appoint the board.

“We are busy consulting our lawyers and will be making another submission to the ConCourt today,” MMA director William Bird said yesterday.

“We believe that… how the matter was handled by the president leaves a lot to be desired, and so we believe there are still essential issues that need to be addressed.”

‘Strong’ candidates

However, Bird showed confidence in the new board. “I think there are some strong candidates and mixed expertise.

The proof will be in how they work as a board and if they assert their independence and work to strengthen the credibility of the SABC.

Their key issue is to bring financial stability but not at the expense of the public mandate.”

Delay

The National Assembly approved the 12-member board on 6 December 2022, but the process was delayed when President Cyril Ramaphosa decided to return the names to the National Assembly to seek clarity on certain matters.

This was seen as delaying tactics in some quarters, including civil society and the opposition. It was alleged that the government wanted to appoint a board that would toe the ANC line and exclude certain individuals for being too independent.

This amid reports from within the SABC that the ANC continued to interfere with news operations, including directing journalists on which issues to cover.

The ANC allegedly also demanded additional airtime, compared to other parties, during elections in breach of the Independent Communications Authority of SA’s editorial policy and rules.

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