Media Monitor Africa has described President Cyril Ramaphosa’s excuses for delaying the appointment of the SABC board as ridiculous.
The media watchdog has decided to take the President to court for the delay. It is asking the Constitutional Court for an order declaring that the President has failed to fulfil this constitutional obligation.
The organisation’s Director William Bird says they approached the court after the President missed their February 17th deadline to make the appointment or face legal action.
“We have approached the court in direct access, an exclusive jurisdiction that the President does not have the power to delay appointing the board. In other words, he does not have the time, or the ability to question whether he should be appointing a certain board member over others. He’s got those 12 names, he has to appoint them. If he does not like any of them or he thinks there is a problem with them, he can then do what anyone in society can take those appointments on review. So we believe he is in breach of his constitutional mandate.”
