MPs come down hard on Muthambi

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Faith Muthambi has drawn the ire of MPs after they accused her of failing to rein in the SABC board when it floundered.

The SABC lurched from one crisis to the next because the board was involved in infighting.

In drafting its interim report yesterday, the ad hoc committee on the SABC said the minister’s lack of intervention with the board left a lot of questions, and she should have intervened.

The committee yesterday adopted its draft report into the investigation at the SABC.

The report has been sent to Muthambi, former board chairpersons Ben Ngubane and Ellen Tshabalala to respond to the allegations made against them.

Other affected parties will also receive the draft report.

However, MPs said Muthambi should have been firm with the board, but had remained silent on matters.

EFF MP Fana Mokoena said Muthambi also refused to answer questions when she appeared before the committee to give evidence.

“She was silent. We did not receive evidence that she did something.

“She was silent,” said Mokoena.

ANC MP Juli Kilian said the board had treated Parliament with contempt. Walking out of a meeting of the committee was a blatant disregard for Parliament and Muthambi should have acted.

Mokoena described the board as rebellious and said action had to be taken at executive level.

Opposition parties also attacked the ANC for backtracking on its decision to include recommendations in the draft report.

The DA said ANC members in the committee changed their position after they received instructions from Luthuli House.

DA MP Mike Waters said this could not be the end of the matter.

The official opposition had argued that recommendations be included in the draft report.

Lawyers for Parliament said this would prejudge the matter against those implicated in the report.

The DA, EFF, IFP and NFP said they were concerned about the fact that the decision to exclude recommendations was political.

Phumzile van Damme of the DA said the ANC MPs got instructions from Luthuli House. She also accused lawyers from Parliament of colluding with the ANC.

Kilian denied they received instructions from Luthuli House to exclude recommendations in the report.