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Suspended SABC news head of news Snuki Zikakala and SABC GCEO Dali Mpofu
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May 07, 2008, 08:00
The suspension today of the SABC GCEO Dali Mpofu preceded by the suspension of the SABC head of news Snuki Zikalala has been heavily criticised by the ANC. The ANC Secretary-General, Gwede Mantashe, says it is a joke that both men were suspended in the last 24 hours. "There is a circus unfolding at the SABC,” says Mantashe.
Last week the Parliamentary committee passed a vote of no confidence on the current SABC Board which has now suspended Mpofu. Mantashe says the SABC Board has failed to rise above petty issues and therefore the current suspension is an attempt to fix the mess that has been exploding at the public broadcaster. Meanwhile the ANC Parliamentary Caucus member, Khotso Khumalo, says the Board has failed to take responsibility for their mess which included losing the PSL soccer rights to SuperSport, the blacklisting of political commentators and failing to implement decisions taken by the Sisulu commission.
Khumalo says the public broadcaster also failed to account on the fraud case of former head of legal services for the SABC, Mafika Sihlali and that of the Cape Sea Point office which is accused of bias and racism. "The Board came to Parliament and they fought in front of members of Parliament showing that they cannot work together. Mpofu suspended Zikalala yesterday afternoon and the next thing the board suspends Mpofu, and this is unbelievable," says Khumalo.
Mantashe says the ANC is not really concerned about those that are suspended or fired however they want a broadcaster that represents the needs of the public. "We want an SABC that operates fairly, independently and reports objectively even if it reports on factions in the ANC," says Mantashe.
Head of the Journalism Department at Rhodes University, Professor Guy Burger says the suspension of Mpofu is a dramatic move. The SABC Board will decide soon who will be appointed in the positions of acting Group CEO and Group Executive News and Current Affairs.
Authorities must intervene
The DA Parliamentary Leader, Sandra Botha, has also described the current situation at the SABC as a circus. She is calling on the relevant authorities to intervene. Botha says the DA wants to see an urgent plan of action.
Botha says the current mess cannot be good for the public broadcaster and must be sorted out immediately. Botha says it will cause uncertainty among ordinary staff members who will soon search for job security elsewhere. She says what is necessary now, is a plan of action on who will replace Mpofu and Zikalala.
She says SABC needs people who will not put their political mandate ahead of their professional responsibility. edited by Margaret Maluleka
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