The recent turn of events at the SABC does not only bode ill for the survival and health of the corporation, it also sends a warning that sorting out parastatals and generally cleaning up the mess, entitlement and corruption of the past decade will be more than a mammoth task.
And those who genuinely believe that the government is serious about turning over a new leaf - and may therefore be tempted to offer their services - should think again. Events at the SABC offer a cautionary tale.
Attempts to sort out the SABC predate Cyril Ramaphosa's promotion to the presidency - the first glint before the New Dawn. Fighting corruption was not yet all the rage. Jacob Zuma looked unassailable; the government and bodies such as the South African Revenue Service and other parastatals were still crawling with his sycophants when a parliamentary ad hoc committee began investigating the shenanigans at the SABC.
With the loopy Hlaudi Motsoeneng calling the shots, the corporation looked and sounded like Animal Farm made real. Comedians had a field day. But for people working there, and the country as a whole, it was no laughing matter.
The ad hoc committee heard, for instance, about the Gupta acolyte who turned up at the SABC armed with a piece of paper, with the intention to take over its news division; about the corporation's priceless archives sold to a private broadcaster for a song; and, almost as if to rub salt into a gaping wound, the multimillion-rand bonus received by Motsoeneng for orchestrating the giveaway.
Zuma's toadies were flushed out and a new board installed. It has done a creditable job of recruiting senior management and stabilising the organisation.
Apart from persistent political interference, the SABC's existential threat has always been its inability to live within its means. It is overstaffed, partly the result of Motsoeneng's arbitrary practice of employing on the hoof. His insistence on 90% local content for radio stations also chased advertisers away. As a result, the corporation is in dire financial straits. Its attempt to arrange a R3bn guarantee with the government has so far been unsuccessful.
The situation has not been helped by the government's use of the SABC as a parking lot for some of its more useless cadres, and there's been a procession of pretty ordinary ministers in recent years, each staying not long enough to master her brief. They have tended to be a hindrance rather than a help.
But time is ticking. In a month or so, the SABC will be in an even more precarious position and may not be able to pay salaries. The board therefore decided to grasp the nettle and cut costs by reducing staff by more than 2,000. That seems to have thrown the cat among the pigeons. The government and practically every political party have lined up with the unions against this wicked board, but they have yet to offer any suggestion as to how the SABC can come anywhere close to being financially healthy. Elections are in the air.
The new minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, a protege of Faith Muthambi, seems to have learnt well from her mentor. As her deputy, she was there when Muthambi ripped the place apart, and she seems determined to carry on with the good work. Ndabeni-Abrahams threw her toys out of the cot and cut ties with the board after it refused to obey her command to halt the retrenchments. Now, four members have resigned, leaving the board with eight vacancies, which means it's inquorate and unable to function.
What's alarming, however, is the alacrity with which Ramaphosa accepted the resignations. He's sided with Ndabeni-Abrahams, a greenhorn who hasn't bothered to take time to listen and familiarise herself with the issues.
What is being is attempted at the SABC deserves Ramaphosa's backing. These are his people, so to speak; the sort of foot soldiers he will need across all spheres if his self-proclaimed campaign for clean and accountable governance is to succeed. And if the SABC project does succeed, it could be a blueprint on how to tackle other parastatals in dire situations.
The shoddy treatment of people who are honestly trying their best to deal with what is a daunting task - the mess, incidentally, created by the ANC government - can only discourage others from making themselves available. Why should any self-respecting individual let themselves be abused by cowardly politicians with an eye on nothing but votes?
But what's happening at the SABC has precedent. Ramaphosa appointed first-class individuals to serve on the Eskom board. But when the board decided against granting salary increases - understandably, because of the parlous state the utility is in - Pravin Gordhan stepped in and forced management to negotiate with now-emboldened unions. They finally agreed on an above-inflation settlement.
To be in rude health, Eskom will have to shed more than half its staff complement. But don't bank on it. The government won't allow it even if the board wants to.
And deep in the recesses of the government is a report that recommends that the number of civil servants be culled by upwards of 300,000.
Tackling the manpower issue is the unspoken part of the puzzle in Ramaphosa's vaunted New Dawn. But he doesn't seem to have the bottle for it. The unions, after all, were the kingmakers in his elevation to the presidency.
And what's happening at the SABC is only a foretaste of battles ahead...