All eyes on SABC as board meets

Head of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, Guy Berger, says we all have to wait and see what the board comes up with as they meet later this morning. This comes after the SABC’s head of news, Snuki Zikalala was suspended yesterday afternoon and in less than 24 hours the GCEO Dali Mpofu followed suit.

Berger says the board will presumably appoint some acting people but there are various procedures and investigations behind the suspensions that need to unfold.

He says many might be worried that this might cause a paralysis of the broadcaster and those concerns the board will need to address. He added that the broadcaster has survived some major crises in the past and the fact that the programmes are continuing despite the ‘vacuum’ shows that there are systems in place. “The SABC as a whole will provide a service to the public and this is a time that SABC journalists can prove that they can be fair in their reporting."

Berger denied newspaper reports of him being in line to replace Snuki Zikalala and highlighted that it is premature to think of successors as this stage. “Snuki has been surrounded by controversy in the past but he has done a lot for the SABC and might just fight to hold on to his position,’ he says.

Credibility dented
Meanwhile, Mail & Guardian news editor Ferial Haffajee says the news has come as a shock to all and the powers that be need to look at what's wrong in the system. She says these developments will dent the credibility of the broadcaster and will also affect staff morale.

Haffajee says there should be good leadership and let people with skills apply "as to how long they stay is a moot case as the (CEO’s) seat seems to be the hottest in South African broadcasting and journalism."

Meanwhile, the Board has assured the public that the day to day running of the corporation will not be affected by these developments. - edited by Nthabeleng Thipa