AG to investigate SABC board

Cape Town – The auditor general (AG) is now going to investigate the fractious SABC board, derailed after months of bitter in-fighting between board members, accusing each other of corruption and mismanagement and paralysing decision-making within SABC top ranks.

The acrimonious in-fighting between the SABC board and SABC board member Cawe Mahlati will now be investigated by the AG. 

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications asked the AG to investigate the SABC board.

In September the SABC board chairperson Dr Ben Ngubane shocked parliament when he announced that the SABC has "degenerated into serious dysfunctionality".

He revealed that the entire SABC board has unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in Mahlati and wants her gone. Mahlati has refused to step down.

'Rampant maladministration'

In a highly embarrassing public spectacle on 18 September with the whole SABC board in parliament, Mahlati lashed back in parliament against "the rampant maladministration and corruption in the SABC board" under the "autocratic and patriarchal" leadership style of Ngubane.

Now the portfolio committee on communications, which had to decide what course of action to take next, unanimously voted to get the help of the auditor-general in to probe the SABC board which is once again seen as not providing any effective leadership.

In the SABC's latest annual report, the SABC missed most of its set strategic objectives.

According to Eric Kholwane, chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications, the comittee could recommend that Mahlati be removed from the SABC board, depending on the outcome of the AG's findings.