Composition of board is cause of the rot at SABC

THE NAIVETÉ of the writer of a letter (“Tune into SABC hearing”, Weekend Argus, December 7) is a little scary and avoids one overriding fact – that the SABC board is made up of ANC-selected individuals.

There are no appointments from any other party to offer balance. Why?

Remember the National Party Broederbond?

Does the writer honestly believe that the submissions made by the public are going to override the board if they are in any way detrimental to the ruling party?

Let’s be clear that the SABC board is run for the ANC by the ANC with chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng as the final arbiter.

Why else would this gentleman have been allowed to manage the SABC with no qualifications, no experience and no matric and earn in excess of R200 000 a month?

There are countless examples of Motsoeneng interfering with the programme content resulting in the resignation of world-class presenter Siki Mgabadeli, a young producer of Khaya FM reduced to tears when he summarily cancelled her show and the cancellation of the Big Debate.

I agree that the presenters and producers are top class and believe that all are professionals and detest what is happening at our beloved SABC.

Sadly, although they try their best to be neutral and allow all opinions through, they are being watched more and more until, like so many other presenters, they eventually leave.

I appear to have been blocked from most of the SAFM switchboards so if you phone in and ask tough questions that the ANC won’t like, you are politely told to SMS the presenter.

We are back in the apartheid days when the rest of the world could see and hear what was happening in South Africa long before the SABC listener/viewer, and “negative” news was sanitised.

When our president was booed by the crowd at FNB Stadium, those watching the SABC’s censored version would hardly have known anything was wrong while the free world and private channels revealed the real situation. There used to be a sign on the studio wall in one of the SAFM studios that said “every opinion is precious”, a sign which I wager is long gone as the board will ensure that the only opinion that counts is that of the president.