The SABC board was sent packing by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) for being ill prepared.
Board members appeared before a late night meeting of the committee to discuss the corporation’s irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
But MPs felt that questions on how the financial situation is being turned around could not be answered in a satisfactory way.
The SIU gave a progress report to MPs – they’ve referred 23 matters for disciplinary action and four matters for criminal investigation to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
MPs were quite happy.
But the SABC board weren’t as impressive.
They couldn’t explain to MPs how they will get the more than R500 million irregular expenditure down to acceptable levels.
Committee chairperson, Themba Godi says, “You were qualified on irregular expenditure. I would imagine that will be your area of singular focus. But focus on everything except that part. So, when you tell those workers you are retrenching them, you must be satisfied that there is nothing you could do.”
The chairperson of the SABC, Bongumusa Makhathini, tried to explain that they appointed a company but it was found they were not appointed properly.
But MPs were not happy.
Among others, Thapelo Chiloane and Nyami Booi, asked them to rather leave.
“SABC must just go back and prepare … because now we are getting bits and pieces of info and it is not assisting us,” added MPs.
The board is scheduled to appear before Scopa again on November 13, the same day the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) facilitated section 189 retrenchment meeting is supposed to take place in Auckland Park.
