SABC interim board: What is Parliament looking for?

24 January 2017

Cape Town – The committee tasked with appointing an interim board for the SABC needs to be clear about what it is looking for in candidates, Parliament heard on Tuesday.

The communications committee on Tuesday started the process of finding suitable candidates to appoint to the interim board.

Committee chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana said there were many unfavourable revelations during the ad hoc committee's inquiry on the board's fitness to hold office, and the committee needed to be clear about what it wanted from the candidates for the interim board.

The committee will be looking for five candidates to make up the interim board for up to six months.

Some of the things it needed to consider before putting forward names were whether candidates had the relevant qualifications and an understanding of the broadcasting industry, he said.

Chief whips to discuss names

"This is so that we don't have people who all don't know the sector. We also need people with legal expertise, so that when it comes to legal matters that are articulated, those people are up to speed. Thirdly, we will have to have people in the interim board with knowledge or understanding of human resources," Maxegwana outlined.

He said issues of governance were also very critical, as this was what had led to the dysfunction at the SABC.

ANC MP Mziwamadoda Kalako said the candidates should be people who understood the [Broadcasting] Act and how it related to the Constitution, so as to avoid the problems which occurred with the previous board, he said.

DA MP James Selfe agreed with the criteria, and said the committee needed to look at "fit and proper" people, who would be suitable "stewards to take the SABC forward".

Political party chief whips will discuss the names before they are sent to the committee for adoption.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.