Chairperson Professor Mbulaheni Maguvhe on Wednesday night called a media briefing after he and other board members were grilled by members of Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications‚ which agreed to hold an inquiry into the board.
Earlier in the day‚ SABC board members Vusi Mavuso and Krish Naidoo dropped a bombshell when they resigned.
Mavuso told Radio 702 on Thursday morning that the board had no choice but to be dissolved‚ as‚ “without a quorum‚ it would be operating illegally”.
He told the station that he resigned because his “conscience could no longer allow me to continue in the tragedy at the board”.
Mavuso‚ the longest-serving board until Wednesday‚ said his request for a meeting of the board before the committee grilling wasn’t entertained.
He said that although he and Naidoo had “deliberated about…and more often than not agreed about the shenanigans at the SABC board”‚ they had resigned “independently”.
The last straw for Mavuso was “when I read in the media that a bonus of R11.4-million bonus was awarded to Hlaudi Motsoeneng‚ without me knowing about‚ that could not be countenanced”.
The portfolio committee had quizzed the board on the controversial Motsoeneng’s new appointment as group executive for corporate affairs‚ following the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dismissal of his challenge to a judgment which ruled that his earlier appointment as chief operating officer was unlawful.
African National Congress MP Mondli Gungubele said Motsoeneng did not qualify for any position at the SABC‚ in light of a damning report by the public protector.
“My understanding is that you [the SABC board] were supposed to implement‚ not review‚ the public protector’s recommendations … the public protector reports have been found to be binding and have a legal effect. Yours is to implement. If you cannot implement‚ you take it on review‚” said Gungubele.
Democratic Alliance MP James Selfe said a disciplinary hearing that cleared Motsoeneng of any wrongdoing following the release of the public protector’s report was a farce and second-guessed the report’s recommendations‚ which was the reason the DA had launched another court challenge.
MPs also accused the delegation of failing to respond to questions and “being sarcastic in their presentations“. Selfe raised another concern‚ saying that the entire executive of the SABC should be taken to task for the problems at the public broadcaster.
Members of the committee also recommended that the role of Communications Minister Faith Muthambi be part of the inquiry but Humphrey Maxegwana said technicalities would be decided at a later stage.
While the committee was in session‚ it learned that Motsoeneng — who had been quietly sitting‚ observing and smiling during proceedings – had gone outside to declare that he was not going anywhere.
Economic Freedom Fighters deputy leader Floyd Shivambu gave a warning to him‚ saying even President Jacob Zuma thought he would not pay but ended up going to Limpopo to get money to pay for non-security upgrades at his homestead in Nkandla.
“There is no one who is indispensable in South Africa. We have the rule of law. We have the Constitution that guides us on how things must be done. He must not treat us like we are kids that he talks to at SABC. The time of games has come to an end. He must live with that reality now‚” said Shivambu.
“In principle we have taken a decision for the inquiry (to take place). Parliamentary processes will have to be followed properly‚” committee chairman Maxegwana said later.
“Secondly‚ we will have to write to individuals of the board‚ those remaining‚ to say this is the state of affairs in the board‚ may you please resign. Then we hear what they say. But the decision is that we will go for an inquiry‚” he said.
The committee earlier agreed that the board should be dissolved.
