Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) says it has resolved to ask the auditor-general to perform a special audit on expansions and deviations on all contracts with a life span of 10 years or more at the SABC.
Scopa says in a statement that the matters will then be referred to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for criminal investigation.
The announcement comes after the committee held a virtual meeting with SABC executives.
Scopa says it is concerned about the extension of contracts as well as monopolies, including that of Inala Broadcast.
They say Inala is a local supplier for an international company that the SABC claims is a sole provider of several IT systems in South Africa.
However, Scopa says National Treasury has found that the SABC has not tested the market to ascertain whether there are other companies that provide the same service.
Scopa Chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa says it is also not clear if the price that the SABC is paying is market-related.
Below is the full statement:
‘SABC has made good progress’
SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe says the abrupt cancellation of some of the contracts, including the one for debt collection, could hurt the public broadcaster’s bottom line.
Chief Financial Officer, Yolande van Biljon, says the public broadcaster has made good progress regarding its finances. She says they have reduced irregular expenditure
In the video below, the SABC’s Manelisi Dubase filed a report on the story:
Restructuring
Last week, unions and the SABC Editorial Forum addressed the Parliament’s Communications Committee in a virtual sitting on the public broadcaster’s intention to possibly retrench 600 permanent employees and cancel the contracts of around 1 200 freelancers.
In the video below, unions say SABC’s skills audit process flawed:
The Portfolio Committee on Communications says it will invite the SABC to discuss the consultation process it had with staff regarding the planned restructuring at the public broadcaster.
Parliament questions SABC’s turnaround strategy:
