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DA slams SABC candidate list
13/09/2007 18:48 - (SA)
Michael Hamlyn
Cape Town - Despite loud and bitter protests from the opposition, the National Assembly on Thursday approved the slate of candidates for the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which was proposed by the communications portfolio committee.
The opposition parties argued that by railroading its own list of candidates through, the ANC was providing the political muscle demanded by the party headquarters at Luthuli House in Johannesburg.
Sue Vos of the Inkatha Freedom Party described the process as "toxic and cynical political manipulation".
"Good candidates willing to serve were ruthlessly ignored," she said. "There was no ubuntu in that committee at all."
For the Democratic Alliance, Dene Smuts, objected to the presence of Gloria Serobe on the list, as she had conflicts of interest, through her role as the driving force of a cellphone consortium.
But Smuts was especially upset by the inclusion of Christine Qunta.
"She's the long-standing Africanist associate of our president," Smuts said. "We cannot support her. We have never supported the racial prism through which she views all criticism - criticism of the president, criticism of corruption against black South Africans covered in the general media and now, upon our questioning, all criticism of the SABC."
Under two hours of questioning by the committee, Qunta confirmed that all criticism of the SABC by the commercial media had a racial bias, Smuts said.
"Further she confirmed ... her confidence in the man we are convinced is the source of much of the trouble at the SABC, the news head Mr Snuki Zikalala."
This is a better board, Smuts admitted, but to include Qunta in it is to deny the crisis at the SABC.
"It is our fear that the honourable the sitting president will appoint her as the chair, and in doing so will perpetuate some of the crisis," Smuts said.
The list of non-executive board members was nonetheless approved by the house in a division by 187 votes to 40, with two abstentions.
The list that was approved is: Ms N Bulbulia, Ms A Gilwald, DK Golding, B Khumalo, Ms F Lagadien, A Mbeki, Ms K Mkhonza, Ms C Qunta, Ms GT Serobe, Adv P Tlakula, A Trikamjee and BP Vundla. Six are returning members of the old board and six are new nominations.
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