/ 29 July 2009

Politics taint appointments to SABC board, says former chair

Political influence is tainting appointments to the South African Broadcasting Corporation board, its former chairperson Kanyi Mkhonza said on Tuesday.

The public’s role in the appointment process had diminished since 1993, she said in a lecture delivered at the Tshwane University of Technology, in Pretoria.

”Since then, every other board has been tainted with a certain amount of political influence, resulting in every board being accused of being an ANC board because of its dominance and its influence over the final list,” she said.

Political manipulation was said to be behind the last-minute changes to the recently disbanded board she chaired, which became known as the ”Mbeki board”.

”These allegations which were strong within the ANC, ignored the fact that Mbeki was the president of the country at the time and his job was to appoint the board.”

Mkhonza said the board appointed in 1993 was the only board of the national broadcaster to be appointed in an open and transparent way.

”That board was not appointed by Parliament, but by a panel of eminent persons and judges.”

She said appointment process should be more transparent and protected from political manipulation.

Asked whether she considered her appointment as politically manipulated, Mkhonza said she had accepted the position because it was not irregular.

”You should remember that the only concern raised about the board was the representation of labour and other civil society organisations … That was not the fault of the board. The portfolio committee is the one that finalises the list of board members before they are appointed.”

She said the interim board would succeed if it had the political support and the support of the trade unions. – Sapa