SABC scandals continue
January 25, 2017
By Chris Forrester
South Africa’s parliament is urgently looking for five “fit and proper” people to run the country’s SABC public broadcaster, following a series of scandals and missteps. The new appointees will form an interim board for the next six months.
Currently the SABC is being run without a board, and amidst press reports that the previous appointees are continue to use the SABC’s offices and allegedly still making use of assorted perks, including the supply of cars.
The Parliamentary Communications Committee said candidates would need some legal experience so that they could implement the nation’s Broadcasting Act, and not least that SABC be truly independent of government interference.
However, alleged scandals continue. Last week one of the broadcaster’s radio presenters was alleged to have solicited bribes for interviews on her radio show. There are daily stories in South Africa’s newspapers reporting executives accused of “milking SABC”, and alleging perjury during recent parliamentary hearings into the SABC’s “endemic” mismanagement.