Huge Response To Nomination Call For New SABC Board

MORE than 200 nominations have been received for a new South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board, suggesting a great deal of public interest in the process. Ismail Vadi, Chairman of Parliament's portfolio committee on communications, said on 18 August 2009 that 239 nominations had been received. Nominations closed on 14 August 2009. One of the first priorities of the new board will be to turn around a public broadcaster suffering from its worst cash-flow crisis in history, BusinessDay reported on 19 August 2009.

The SABC made an R839 million loss for the past financial year, amid a battle between its former CEO, Dali Mpofu, and the board, under Former Chairwoman Kanyi Mkhonza. An interim board, headed by Irene Charnley, is attempting to stabilize the institution after the departure of the previous board. Civil Society Organizations have also been active in soliciting nominations.

Those nominated include Suzanne Vos, a member of the interim board, and Desmond Golding and Bheki Khumalo from the previous board. Charnley has said she made herself available for the interim board on condition that she would not be appointed to the next board. Barbara Masekela, who was previously Board Chairwoman, has been nominated by the South African Screen Federation (SASFED), the Independent Producers Organization (IPO) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). Ben Ngubane, Former Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, has been nominated by Cosatu, SASFED and the IPO. Lumko Mtimde, CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, which has provided several leaders to the SABC, including Mkhonza and interim board member Libby Lloyd, has been nominated by Media Monitoring Africa.

Other nominations include Former Bush Radio and Media Academic Tanja Bosch, Former Communist Party spokesman Mazibuko Jara, and Author and Veteran Trade Unionists Kid Sithole, Cedric Gina and Jane Barrett have also been nominated.

Activists have argued that political party office-bearers and senior government officials should be barred from the board to safeguard its independence. The coalition wanted candidates with broadcasting and "high- level public service" experience, said Kate Skinner, spokeswoman of the Save Our SABC Coalition. Although commercial experience was also valuable, Skinner said public sector experience was important in light of the SABC's public mandate. The coalition wants a board that will represent population demographics and interest groups and constituencies. Skinner said the standard of nominations was high, with excellent candidates who could help to turn the SABC around.

Reagan Malumo
Programme Officer: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht St
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Mobile: +264 81 311 2626
E mail: reagan@misa.org

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