Interim SABC board to be appointed
The ad hoc committee will outline urgent issues that need to be resolved
THE PROBLEMS at the SABC could be resolved in the coming months after the ad hoc committee wrapped up its work. The portfolio committee on communications indicated it will meet on Tuesday to discuss the names of people to serve on the interim SABC board.
It is one of the recommendations of the draft report into the SABC that the interim board must address some of the issues urgently. On the other hand, the ad hoc committee, chaired by Vincent Smith, has a few more weeks to craft a report that would be adopted by Parliament.
At its meeting today, the ad hoc committee will go through the interim report, which has been leaked, and decide on the course of action.
Despite Smith expressing shock at the leaking of the report, he insisted this was not a final product. But the report called on the interim SABC board to investigate the irregular expenditure of R5.1 billion at the corporation in the last few years. This is one of the issues raised by the auditor-general.
Chairman of the communications committee Humphrey Maxegwana said the appointment of the interim board was a matter of priority for the committee.
The EFF called for an open process, similar to the one followed in the appointment of the public protector, to appoint the interim board.
Maxegwana said parties will come up with names in the committee on Tuesday.
Out of all the names to be presented to MPs they will pick five. They will serve on the interim board.
Smith has also said the appointment of the interim board was in the purview of the communications committee.
But the board would have a tough task in dealing with matters raised by the draft report in a short time.
It has not yet been determined by the communications committee how long the interim board would be in office.
In the past the interim board was appointed for six months until a permanent board was appointed.
The process to appoint a permanent board would take a while before it is finalised.
In the past eight years no permanent board of the SABC has ever concluded its five-year term in office.