ANC to blame for SABC woes, DA

SOUTH Africa’s shadow Minister of Communications has attributed the problems facing the South African Broadcasting Corporation on the divisions rocking the ruling African national Congress.

Niekie van den Berg, of the Democratic Alliance said, “The ongoing crisis facing the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been precipitated by the ANC’s own internal conflicts. The severe financial issues, coupled with present attempts to topple the SABC’s board, merely reflect upon the fact that the SABC has been run into the ground by successive ANC administrations, that unqualified ANC cadres continue to be deployed to key posts within the Corporation, and that the ANC government continues to take every opportunity to meddle in the SABC’s internal affairs.”

“The timing of the present efforts to overhaul the SABC’s entire board is not coincidental. A new faction of the ANC is now in power, and so, to gain political control over the SABC, attempts are being made to ensure that people with the correct political affiliations are installed. The longstanding problems facing the SABC will never be resolved if this continues to happen.”

The SABC has been facing problems, which came to head with the dismissal of then-CEO Dali Mpofu.

”The fact that the Corporation’s board now appears to have no legal standing as a consequence of the relatively farcical events earlier this week, and that the South Gauteng High Court has ruled that former SABC CEO Dali Mpofu was dismissed from his contract improperly, merely underscores the gross incompetence of SABC management at present, and the continued interference of the ANC in this process.”

Workers in the communications industry and the labour movement have in recent weeks called on the board to quit owing to the problems.