DA looks forward to engaging with SABC board regarding retrenchments as committee resolves it appear before Parliament as top priority

6 November 2018

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications has today resolved as a matter of top priority, that the SABC board must appear before Parliament on Tuesday, 13 October 2018, to update the committee on the retrenchment process at the public broadcaster.

Last week, the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for an urgent briefing by the SABC board to provide a full update on its retrenchment process.

The DA is of the view that the SABC has not handled the process of the possible retrenchment of up to 2200 staff adequately. The fact that a proper independent skill and salary audit has not been conducted does not inspire confidence.

The DA will not allow for hardworking SABC staffers to lose their jobs without proper basis. A skills audit would reveal which skills and jobs at the SABC need to be retained and which not, and must be undertaken before retrenchments are considered.

Staff members and indeed the public deserves to be taken into the confidence of the SABC leadership.

It is evident that the SABC board has a lot to answer for and the DA looks forward to using the opportunity on Tuesday to hold the board accountable.

Issued by Phumzile Van Damme, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, 6 November 2018