BEMAWU concerned about SABC’s lack of a board

Labour Union, Broadcasting, Electronic, Media & Allied Workers Union (BEMAWU), has outlined the impact of the SABC not having a board of directors, saying employees have not been given salary increases.

The public broadcaster has been operating without a board for nearly six months.

BEMAWU has raised concerns over delays in appointing a new SABC board.

“Employees did not get an increase, independent contracts cannot be renewed and there can be no negotiations around that. It is something that should be addressed as soon as we have a board, because all of these things impact on the morale of staff, on the productivity of the SABC, a lot of people are looking for other jobs. We are killing the SABC by not having a board, or offering employees not even a one percent increase,” says BEMAWU’s President, Hannes Du Buisson.

SABC unions lament delay in new board appointment:

Questions raised

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa raised questions over the process, after 12 names were submitted to him, along with three additional names.

Ramaphosa wrote to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula seeking clarity on the three additional names submitted and requested that the matter be taken back to the Subcommittee on Communications and Digital Technologies.

However, a recent letter, written by Parliament’s legal advisors, claimed that Ramaphosa acted unlawfully when he wrote to Parliament, referring the matter back to the National Assembly.

Legal advisors deem Ramaphosa’s letter on SABC board unlawful:

Meanwhile, legal analysts argue that Ramaphosa may approach the Constitutional Court to review the resolution of the National Assembly on the candidates to be considered for the SABC Board. However, legal analysts argue that the legal option is unlikely to bear the fruits of success.

The apex court is the only relief that can be sought by the President, as the two spheres of government fail to reach common ground on the matter.

SABC Board appointment impasse: