'Ben Ngubane must go' chorus

Instability at the national broadcaster has raised the ire of interest groups and calls for the resignation of the SABC board chairman are intensifying.

The SA Screen Federation became the second group within less than a month to call for board chairman Ben Ngubane to resign with immediate effect yesterday.

Citing "continued chaos" at the SABC, the federation wrote to newly appointed Communications Minister Dina Pule asking that she appoint a caretaker administration urgently to help the broadcaster meet its mandate and restore its reputation.

"The minister must urgently appoint a caretaker administration, publicly nominated from the public sector, which will take financial, editorial and administrative control of the national public broadcaster until such time as the SABC's finances are returned to profitability [and] local-content quotas are restored to their legal minimum requirements," said the federation's Thandi Brewer.

Four board members have resigned in recent months, citing indecisiveness and infighting.

The federation said that the SABC's turnaround is being influenced by "political manoeuvring and hidden agendas".

"The turnaround of the SABC will continue to be impossible to achieve under the present leadership which, for example, appoints a new strategic chief before appointing a new CEO, COO and CFO."

The federation said it would be impossible for the SABC to develop and implement a comprehensive turnaround strategy with Ngubane at the helm.

Federation member David Forbes said: "We have been watching this whole mess unfold and there is no action and it is just not being resolved."

He said the federation had discussed the situation with the previous minister, Roy Padayachie, but he was removed before anything could be resolved .

Th e Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union also demanded Ngubane's resignation three weeks ago.

Its call was in response to Ngubane's response to a question by parliament's portfolio committee on communications in which he said that a senior SABC official, Justice Ndaba, wa s an "outsider" [consultant] and not an SABC employee.

"It is misconduct in the extreme to lie to parliament - a dismissible misconduct," the union said.

The broadcaster has faced a litany of problems, including poor corporate governance and financial mismanagement.

Phil Molefe is currently leading the SABC in a temporary capacity. There is no chief operating officer or chief financial officer.

The broadcaster has failed to commission significant local programming since 2008.

The SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, has called for Ngubane's head.

It wants information on the R20-million car scandal at the SABC, including why luxury vehicles were secured.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago could not be reached for comment yesterday.

One of the leading contenders for the top SABC position, Transnet National Ports Authority CEO Tau Morwe, has withdrawn his candidacy.