The Democratic Alliance battled to get an answer from the SABC board on how much the COO, CFO and CEO earn. DA member of Parliament’s Communications Committee Veronica van Dyk described the board’s decision to avoid answering the question directly as the “Hlaudi culture”.
The SABC board was presenting its 2017/2018 financial year. Van Dyk says he’s not happy with the answer that was given.
“Maybe the board must think that we as MPs are stupid, because I didn’t ask last year’s report. I ask what they are paying now at this stage. I don’t want to wait for an annual report, because we all know that you all know what everybody is paid in this room. And the refusal to answer is like the Hlaudi culture. It’s not on that we cannot ask a question and not get an answer. If a board didn’t have a problem with the photos of the new appointees in this annual report, why must we wait this next year to get an answer on that?”
The SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini, insisted that the question on how much the public broadcaster’s COO, CFO and CEO earn can be answered at the right time.
“What’s the purpose of releasing these numbers outside of the required or prescribed time frame. The second thing is it is going to basically help us with the challenges that we are facing. We are facing a salary bill of R3.1 billion as we speak. Focusing on what the executive CEO, COO, CFO are earning is not going to help us with the issues that we are facing.”
