MEDIA STATEMENT BY JULI KILIAN, MP - MEMBER OF COMMUNICATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE IN PARLIAMENT LEAVE POLITICS ASIDE TO SAVE THE SABC, says COPE. If the SABC is ever to be restored to its rightful position as a credible public broadcaster, political parties and in particular the ANC, who holds majority in the communications committee, should refrain from attempts to pack the board with political loyalists. Political meddling throughout the spectrum of management and financial matters, including editorial interference has contributed to the slippery slope of lost credibility and corporate chaos. The Congress of the People hopes that this time around, prominent, suitably qualified and experienced South Africans of all political persuasions have been nominated during the current SABC Board nomination process, which will close today. The new Board will be the fifth board to take office since 2009. This instability was caused by the ANC’s political interference in the management and editorial policies of the public broadcaster. Despite the negative impact on the credibility and operational efficacy of the public broadcaster, Luthuli House continued their political meddling in the SABC until they instigated the mass resignation of the Ngubane Board earlier this year. COPE has declined to nominate members for the Interim Board which is currently serving for a limited period of 6 months. We insisted that political parties should not get directly involved in any nomination process. We suggested that the Portfolio Committee should compile a consensus list of suitably qualified individuals who should be approached by the Portfolio Committee and not any political party, for nomination to the Interim Board. COPE will assess the CV’s of all persons nominated through the current public participation process and will compile a shortlist of suitably qualified and experienced individuals who should be invited for interviews. And we will expose and reject all nominations made by the ANC and its alliance partners on the basis that the Broadcasting Act and provisions in the Constitution demands the appointment of unbiased individuals to the Board of the public broadcaster. The public broadcaster plays a key role to inform, to entertain and to educate the South African public. – Its nomination process for the SABC Board should yield the best talent to restore the credibility of the institution once and for all. Enq: J. Kilian Tel: 082 824 7459 Distributed by: COPE MEDIA Congress of the People 6th Floor, Metropolitan Building 108 Fox Street, Marshalltown Johannesburg Tel: 0839975133 Email: copemedia2014@gmail Facebook: https://facebook/CopeFB Twitter: @MyCOPE
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 13:59:30 +0000
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