ANC MPs want SABC chairman's head to roll

ANC MPs are gunning for embattled SABC board chairman Ben Ngubane, whom they accuse of exacerbating the public broadcaster's corporate governance and financial woes.

The Sunday Times has learnt that ANC MPs serving on parliament's communications portfolio committee are mobilising for Ngubane's departure - either voluntarily or by force.

Several MPs have told the Sunday Times that the emerging view is that the problems of the troubled board are being aggravated by Ngubane's reluctance to work with other board members and his insistence on supporting suspended group CEO Solly Mokoetle at all costs.

"To tell the truth, he should be gone as in yesterday. He seems to be defending the CEO. It's just clumsy. He must be removed as a matter of urgency," said a senior MP on the committee who refused to be named.

Another committee member, who also refused to be named, said there were a number of suggestions on how to get rid of Ngubane, the first option being to persuade him to step down voluntarily.

If that fails, section 15 of the Broadcasting Act could be invoked, whereby Ngubane could be charged with misconduct and subjected to a parliamentary inquiry, which has the power to recommend his removal from the board if he is found guilty.

"The man has now become an embarrassment," said the committee member.

It is understood that the committee wants to base the misconduct charge on the appointment of Phil Molefe, which has caused serious divisions in the board.

This is after board members accused Ngubane of unilaterally appointing Molefe as head of news while interviews were still being conducted with other candidates.

The board has also complained to parliament that Ngubane has been shielding Mokoetle, resulting in the suspended CEO defying board instructions to present a strategy to get the SABC out of itsfinancial mess.

The SABC was forced to beg the government for a bailout and was given a loan guarantee of R1-billion.

In a strongly worded resolution this week, the portfolio committee described the board as leaderless and condemned it for failing to submit a coherent turnaround strategy document and performance review of the past six months.

But portfolio committee chairman Ismail Vadi told the Sunday Times that it was too early to talk about who to remove from the board.

"Until we get a full report (on the board's functionality), it's premature to talk about the individual performance of any member of the board," he said.

Ngubane said yesterday that he would step down only once an investigation he had requested into the problems at the SABC had been undertaken.

"I don't mind. I asked the portfolio committee to conduct an investigation into all that has happened at the SABC.

"In light of that finding, I can take a decision (to step down)," said Ngubane.

"It's meaningless stepping down when the whole thing hasn't been investigated. No one will be wiser as to what the problems were. It will be stepping down as a duck."

Ngubane is known to be close to President Jacob Zuma, something MPs fear could frustrate their attempts to get him out. Zuma has the final say on board appointments and its chair.