Near a hundred SABC Board nominations are disqualified: Committee

Some opposition MPs in the Communications Portfolio Committee accuse the ANC of dragging its feet in filling vacancies on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Board.

Board nominations closed almost two months ago, and shortlisting was expected to start early in January.

There’s less than a month left of the 5th Parliament’s life, and the Communications Committee has precious little time to recommend new members to fill vacancies on the SABC Board.

CVs of hopefuls for the eight vacancies will now be distributed among committee members. Of the more than 300 CVs received, 90 were from people seeking internships and odd jobs. It is now left with over 230.

The committee has decided to continue with the shortlisting process on Tuesday next week.

The committee’s Content Advisor Mbo Maleka took committee members through the nomination figures.

“By the end of the entire process, we had received – this is excluding the 80 that had already applied by October process – we had received 153 nominations bringing the total nominations that is official to 233 nominations and that excludes, like I said, the 90 that were just generic applications. So, in total we had a total 323. So, if you minus the 90 then you have are left with 233 nominations for the SABC Board nominations,” Maleka explains.

MPs agreed to forge ahead with the shortlisting, despite a key committee functionary being ill. But the meeting was not without tension.

The DA and the UDM said they expected the process to have started more than a month ago.

Committee Chair Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize saying to DA, “they give false impression and allegations making the ANC  to look bad, when in actual fact they had to wait for parliament staff to return from holiday to start this process.”

DA’s Phumzile van Damme warns the Chair that they need to be able to work together on this committee.

Shortlisting is now expected to take place next week. This will be followed by interviews the week after.