An open letter to SACP Gauteng Provincial Secretary Mr. Jacob Mamabolo

 I write this letter as a member of the SACP who expects his organization to talk to him directly not through the media. I have noted that the provincial executive committee of the SACP marched to the SABC calling for the removal of the Board. I have also noted the latest statement that because SABC has not responded, they will intensify the campaign.

Firstly I want to say that for the record, the SACP understand how the SABC Board get appointed and it is for this reason they nominated Cde David Niddrie to the current Board. It is another matter altogether why Cde David Niddrie resigned from the SABC Board. What I can say though is that I once attended a meeting with Cde Solly Mapaila together with Cde David Niddrie to engage him on strategic issues of the public broadcaster including the issue of the Polokwane resolutions on the 60 percent funding of the public broadcaster.

I think the SACP Gauteng must invite Cde David Niddrie to their meeting to understand why he eventually resigned from the SABC Board. I am also willing to be invited by my vanguard party to come and brief them on what is happening in Auckland Park just like when I explained a previous matter to the three SACP CC members who called to ask questions about a previous matter which I hope is now a closed matter.

For the general public that may think the SABC Board need to respond to calls for its disbandment, please be informed that the Board does not appoint itself but the President appoints the Board after a thorough public process that take place in Parliament. I wish to advise the SACP PEC that unfortunately the Board was not in a position to respond to its calls since they believe that they are responsible citizens who are committed to execute their mandate to turn around the SABC despite all the internal challenges which are exacerbated by external challenges like the one posed by the SACP.

It is my considered view that the SABC Board is well on its way to achieve the turn-around in SABC. We have improved the revenue in the SABC amidst the challenges of the global financial crisis that has seen many corporate cut down on advertising which unfortunately is still the major contributor to SABC income. It is this Board that brought the SIU to investigate all the allegations that the civil society raised in 2009 and as we speak some people are facing criminal charges and there might be more to face the wrath of the law.

The Government Guarantee by the National Treasury places enormous responsibility on us to address very tough issues including the executive that was bloated, fill critical vacancies and reduce the Head Count in the corporation. We have done our level best to sort out the structure and fill vacant or acting positions but some of the things have been out of our control like the unfortunate issue between Cde Solly Mokoetle and the Board which hampered the process of stabilizing the Executive which is now more stable then when we started. We have advertised the Chief Operations Officer position after a long litigation process that prevented us from filling that position; it involves the matter that happened during the era of the late Minister Cassaburi which two Ministers could not resolve on our behalf because it was out of the armbit of the Board.

It is beyond our control that we have been unlucky to have had three Ministers in the Department of Communications in a very short space of time because of challenges in the shareholder department, which are still there even as I write this letter to you.

Lastly I want to explain why I address you as Mr. Mamabolo. I address you in this way because in my book you do not qualify to be called a comrade, because you have failed to behave like a comrade and leader towards me as a member of the SACP in good standing. I want to tell the public that you are a hypocrite because few minutes after I spoke on SAFM about NUMSA's support for President Jacob Zuma, you had the decency to call me in my cellphone number that you have to commend my articulation but when you decide to call for the Board that I serve in on behalf of the glorious federation that nominated me, you suddenly forgot that you have my phone number.

In my book this is hypocrisy. You are however a better hypocrite than some of your colleagues in the Gauteng SACP, like Mr. Alex Mashilo who see me every day in the NUMSA office and never raise issues but go on to the Communist University and write a lot of things about a Board that did not make sure that his march to Midvaal Municipality was covered in the news as if the Board is supposed to be operational at SABC.

Lastly, I want to inform all South Africans that we will continue to do our level best to turn around SABC but we will resist the calls to turn us into executive directors, we are non executive directors and we will remain non executive directors. I want to thank COSATU leadership for the continued support of my tenure in their quiet and dignified manner. I forever remain indebted to them for nominating me and I shall continue to do my best to represent the working class and downtrodden masses in that Board and I call on them and the SACP and ANC to campaign for the implementation of the increased public funding of the SABC by our government.

Comradely,

Cedric Gina

SACP Member in Good Standing

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