President Cyril Ramaphosa has written to parliament requesting that the matter of the appointment of the SABC board be referred to the Portfolio Committee on Communications for urgent consideration.
In a letter dated 9 March 2023, Ramaphosa seeks further clarity on the submission of 15 names sent by parliament for consideration regarding the filling of 12 non-executive director vacancies following the expiry of the term of the previous SABC Board on 15 October last year.
In the letter, the president addresses the three additional names which he says have created confusion that has served to further delay what he terms “an extremely urgent and critical matter”.
President Ramaphosa writes that while he has been informed by the speaker that the so-called “reserve pool” names ought to not be considered.
The president does not believe that he is constitutionally empowered to ignore the said names as they feature in the contents of the resolution of the National Assembly of 6 December 2022.
The president, therefore, requests that he be given a clear, legally accurate record of what the National Assembly has resolved on the persons to be considered for appointment to the SABC board.
Meanwhile Media Monitor Africa described President Cyril Ramaphosa’s excuses for delaying the appointment of the SABC board as ridiculous.
The media watchdog 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 fulfill 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.
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