SABC Board: interviews

COMMUNICATIONS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
21 August 2007
SABC BOARD: INTERVIEWS

Acting Chairperson: Mr G Oliphant (ANC)

Documents handed out:
None

Audio recording of meeting
 
SUMMARY
The Committee had shortlisted 37 candidates, of whom five were interviewed during the meeting. Two of the interviewees were serving currently on the outgoing SABC board.

The current Board members were asked specific questions on the negative publicity that the SABC experienced, why they wished to continue to serve another term on the Board, their perceptions of the Commission of Enquiry, whether they were specifically aware of reports and allegations in relation to the matter, and what the Board had done and would do to try and address negative perceptions. They were further asked to comment upon the perceptions of bias specifically in relation to reporting on Zimbabwe, the actions taken to ensure compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, and to improve internal controls.

Those candidates not presently serving on the Board were asked similar questions, but were also asked to address their own particular skills that they could bring to the Board, what steps they would take to address increased showing of violence on television, their perception of the current problems at the Board and what they would do to address them. Further questions related to the involvement of those candidates on other Boards or in commercial enterprises. They were also asked to comment upon how the SABC could increase coverage of labour issues and investigative journalism.
 
MINUTES
The Chairperson noted that the Committee hoped to be finished by 7, otherwise 11 September, with all the interviews.

Interview: Ms Christine Qunta
The Chairperson asked Ms Qunta, who was already serving as Deputy Chairperson of the outgoing SABC Board, why she would like to be reconsidered for appointment to the new SABC Board. 

Ms C Qunta replied that the current SABC Board still had outstanding work to complete and because she was part of those projects she was familiar with the environment and could contribute her experience, skill and continuity. She expanded on what the current Board had achieved during its term of office and the progress of the SABC since the current Board came into office in 2004.

The Chairperson asked what other Board memberships she occupied.

Ms Qunta stated that she sat on four other boards that were not active, and the work of the foreign land ownership committee was complete.

[PMG note: Full answers to the following further questions may be heard on the attached audio recording:

Ms S Vos (IFP) referred to the Commission report, focusing on the submission by the trade union on the blacklisting allegations. She quoted sections from page 60 of the report, that referred to “moral decay” and the fact that 35 journalists that had left the SABC due to dissatisfaction in their working environment. She asked if Ms Qunta was aware of that report and what steps the Board took in addressing that matter.

The Chairperson stated that the allegations in the report were complaints around alleged inaction from the Board, and asked if the Board would consider this before they lost people.

Ms Vos wondered why so many journalists had left the SABC.

Mr K Khumalo (ANC) requested the proposal for the funding model of the broadcaster.

Mr Khumalo expressed his disappointment on SABC losing the contract to Supersport and said that the Board should have intervened.

Mr Khumalo asked for an opinion in SABC entering the market for paying channels.

Mr Khumalo asked what kind of retention strategies should be used to avoid loss of valuable staff.

The Chairperson asked if there were strategies to deal with the problem of loss of staff. 

Mr R Pieterse (ANC) was concerned about lack of time frames allocated to achieving certain tasks. He was concerned that there was insufficient promotion of languages other than English on SABC, and asked why there had not been sufficient change.

Mr Pieterse asked if Ms Qunta could comment on the amount and quality of journalists. 

Ms M Morutoa (ANC) asked if the SABC had ever considered broadcasting outside Africa.

Ms Morutoa asked if the SABC had a strategic plan and requested advice on women’s economic empowerment. 

The Chairperson requested an elaboration on SABC Africa

Ms D Smuts (DA) asked if the candidate supported the idea of bringing back Mr Zikalala, and if that was linked to the departure of Matlala. She further asked if the decision was associated with the Board and what her own position was on the matter.

Ms Smuts commented that perhaps Ms Qunta might have certain agendas in mind. She gave examples of what she would have regarded as political bias. She also felt that the SABC was giving more weight to one side of the story on Zimbabwe (refer to attached recording).

Mr M Mohlalonga (ANC) referred to the four-year period the Board had served, and requested Ms Qunta’s appraisal of the SABC’s image, against its background of competitors, and corporate government issues.

Mr Mohlalonga asked Ms Qunta if she had felt that the image of the SABC had been enhanced or diminished.

Mr Mohlalonga asked what issues Ms Qunta would focus on achieving, if she were to be appointed for another term.

Mr Mohlalonga referred to the effects of the Broadcasting Act and the subsidisations, and asked which channels were used for commercial use, and which responded to the public mandate. He further asked why advertisements were being included during all news bulletins.

Ms L Yengeni (ANC) referred to the perception that SABC was biased in favour of capital business investors,  and not providing adequate coverage on labour movement, other than when there were strikes.

Ms Yengeni asked if the Board had executed its responsibilities as required by the Public Finance Management Act, and what steps the Board had taken to ensure that it was used as the foundation of governance and operations at the SABC.

Ms Vos was astounded that the allegations raised at the commission of enquiry did not reach the Board. She noted that the climate survey had indicated that the Sea Point office had the lowest morale and surely that should have been an indicator of problems.

Ms Vos asked when last the Board had met with the SABC staff.

Ms Vos was concerned about the negative publicity facing the Board, and requested a report on allegations made to it.

The Chairperson requested the percentage of board meetings the candidate had attended during her time of service.

The Chairperson referred to the report on corruption, when it was apparently discovered that white employees were passing on contract to white-owned companies. He asked whether there was some racial problem in the SABC.

The Chairperson asked Ms Qunta how much more time she would like to serve on the Board. He asked how far the hand-over process was and reminded her about the tasks still to be reported on. He asked if the license fees option was still an option, or was more definite.

Ms Yengeni asked why Ms Qunta had not attended on the Portfolio Committee’s interaction with the SABC Board.

Interview: Professor Jacklyn Cock
The Chairperson welcomed Professor Cock and asked her to give a brief profile about herself and why she would like to be considered for the Board position.

Prof Cock stated that SABC was considered by her to be an important institution. She commented on her involvement in training. Dr Zikalala, an ex-student at the Sociology Department of Wits University, had approached her Department three years ago to provide a training course to all SABC journalists in contemporary social issues, placing emphasis on depth of analysis. She was impressed with the quality of the SABC people with whom she had worked, and this was the prime reason for her candidature for the Board. As a sociologist she was concerned with social change and social inequality, and would like to address these issues. 

Full answers to the following further questions may be heard on the attached audio recording:

Ms Vos (IFP) commented on the impressive CV and research done by the candidate on numerous areas. She asked what Professor Cock thought about the programming that SABC provided and asked what the candidate thought about broadcasting shows like Jerry Springer or Hip Hop music. In relation to the candidate’s background and expertise Ms Vos asked how she would change programming in a way that would balance the needs of society. 

Mr Khumalo referred to Prof Cock’s book, noting that she had mentioned that the SABC did not reflect on the views of the working class, and tended to exclude the marginalised groups. He asked how she would ensure that efforts were made to create balance, so that broadcasting did not only reflect on middle class lifestyle, as was currently was the case. He requested her sociological perspective on the missing elements in the coverage of news and asked what could be done in creating airspace for marginalised societies.

Mr Nxumalo asked how Prof Cock would assist the board to advance the agenda of the poor, especially in the rural areas, and to cater for people living without television who had poor radio coverage. He further asked how she would ensure that those people’s voices and opinions were heard, especially in view of the fact that their main source of income was the social grants, which would limit their interaction or access to resources. He asked if her sociological background would assist in influencing the Board.

Mr Pieterse asked Prof Cock how she would deal with the negative perceptions that had been raised against the Board. He also asked how she would ensure that the allegations of bias were addressed, and how she could assist the public to take informed decisions.

Mr Khumalo referred to a South African publication on labour issues by E. Webster, and asked what Professor Cock would do if appointed to the Board to address concerns that too little coverage was given by the SABC on labour issues.

The Chairperson asked Professor Cock why she thought the Communist Party had nominated her.

The Chairperson requested an indication of other Boards on which Professor Cock had, or currently did serve. 

The Chairperson summarised the procedure, right through to the stage of nomination to the Board, and noted that the Committee would like to see a Board that would collectively complement the individual skills. The current Board members were mainly business-focused,. and SABC was funded mainly by the commercial sector, which also had its expectations of how the SABC should perform. She should think about these issues. He requested her to make closing remarks.

Interview: Dr D Rajah
The Chairperson welcomed the third interviewee, and requested she give a brief introduction about herself and why she would like to be on the Board.

Dr D Rajah noted that she had a background in psychology and journalism. She had recently retired as Dean of students. She had served on the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) Board for ten years. Dr Rajah had also managed the Durban youth radio and started “Tshisa”, a student online magazine.

Full answers to the following further questions may be heard on the attached audio recording:
 
The Chairperson asked the number of Boards on which the candidate was serving.

Adv P Swart (DA) was impressed by the CV of Dr Rajah. He referred to her experience in broadcasting complaints, and asked her to detail what she could bring to the SABC Board. He asked her to identify two serious problems with the current SABC Board, and to give an indication of how she would solve them.

Ms Vos focused on the candidate’s experience and asked for an indication on the consumer issues faced. Ms Vos asked Dr Rajah, from her professional perspective, whether she saw any problems in respect of cultural diversity, the position of women and the media, and if she could indicate what she thought was being done to address these problems, and what more could be done. 

The Chairperson requested Dr Rajah to provide a profile of journalism in South Africa. He referred to her mention of maturity as one of her strengths. However, he indicated that maturity could also be a disadvantage given the political vibrancy, and asked how she would respond to the tendency of mature people to run away from the current issues. 

Adv Swart believed that there had been what could be described as a moral breakdown on broadcasting, where more domestic violence, sexual abuse or other forms of violence were being shown on television, whether by SABC or other stations, in fictional situations. This had the potential of harmful impact on young people. He asked how she would see the public broadcaster dealing with this, without reverting to censorship.

Mr Petersen stated that more children watched television without adult supervision, and that it should not just be the role of the broadcast media but also the parents to take responsibility and monitor what children were watching. He asked if he thought that a broadcaster should or could make an appeal to parents be more vigilant in what their children were viewing. 

Ms Vos mentioned the perceptions around the SABC Board, which operated in a highly contested political environment. She asked how Professor Rajah would respond to and function in this contested arena if she were appointed to the Board.

Mr Mohlalonga asked, from the programming point of view, what Professor Rajah thought were the basic features of a public broadcaster, especially in a new democracy with a developing economy. He asked what impressions she had about the SABC content and the context of the complaints that she had dealt with at the Commission.

The Chairperson mentioned that the board had a challenge with funding, where 80% of the funding to the SABC came from commercial activities. The Chairperson expressed his concern about the calibre of journalism in this country, and noted there were not enough sufficiently skilled investigative journalists.

The Chairperson requested a brief comment from Prof Rajah, based on studies she had conducted, as to how the Indian youth considered their role in the context of the democratic South Africa. He then requested Dr Rajah to give her concluding remarks. 

Interview: Mr Neren Rau
The Chairperson welcomed Mr Rau and informed him of the process to be followed in selecting the members of the Board. He asked him to give a brief introduction of himself and to indicate why he would like to be considered for the SABC Board.

Mr Neren Rau indicated that he had taught at Wits Technikon and Rhodes University. He had worked for the National Treasury, and had subsequently joined the Financial Stability Department at the Reserve Bank. He was Head of the Financial Safety Division, where his mandate included ensuring the stability of the financial sector. He was a member of the Audit Committee of the Johannesburg Tourism.

Full answers to the following further questions may be heard on the attached audio recording:

The Chairperson asked if the candidate was familiar with the Broadcasting Act and asked if he had any critique on the mandate given to the SABC or whether or not he would be able to carry it out effectively.

Mr Mohlalonga requested clarity on the candidate’s relationship with Johannesburg Tourism and what sort of entity it was. Furthermore he asked how the candidate would manage his time if appointed to the Board, and how he would manage the Board meetings with his role at the Reserve Bank

Ms Vos asked on the candidate’s involvement with NEDLAC and the kind of work he conducted in that arena.

Ms Vos noted that the SABC had challenges with its funding models and needed to increase its competitiveness. She asked how he would help to enhance growth. 

Mr Nxumalo asked what Mr Rau would do to implement the PFMA fully. He also asked how, as a financially experienced person, he would he balance the broadcasting, bearing in mind that the main source of funding was from the commercial sector.

Mr Khumalo was concerned about the amount of violence broadcast, even in cartoons for children, and asked how the candidate would address this issues.

Mr Khumalo asked for comments upon the audit report of the SABC, and how Mr Rau would regard the chief financial officer reporting directly to an audit committee. He asked about the candidate’s financial management strengths.

The Chairperson requested the candidate’s concluding remarks.

Interview: Mr Cecil Msomi
The Chairperson welcomed Mr Msomi, requested him to introduce himself and asked why he would like to be considered to serve on the Board of SABC for another term.

Mr Cecil Msomi replied that he was currently the Chief Director at the KZN Provincial Government for Communications. He took charge of news and current affairs sections on the SABC Board. He was a Director at Mzizi investments, responsible for construction, renovations of buildings and stationery.

Mr Msomi would like to serve on the Board again to finish the work the current Board had started, since the members had made great strides in achieving their goal. They had formulated policies and improved the corporation. They had introduced new programmes, children’s news and other programmes to encourage debate in the new democracy. They had made substantial progress in empowering people to make informed decisions economically, socially and otherwise. The majority of the viewers and listeners felt that the SABC news had been credible and fresh. Mr Msomi would like to see these programmes sustainable in the future, hence the need for continuity.
Full answers to the following further questions may be heard on the attached audio recording:

Ms Vos asked if Mr Msomi saw any problems personally, or from a public perception point of view, in his holding his position at a government institution, whilst also serving on the SABC Board, which was supposed to be an independent body. 
 
Ms Vos asked if it was true that ETV had doubled their 7 o’clock news viewership, and if so she requested an explanation.

Ms Vos provided examples of various stories that were not aired on SABC and which appeared to have some political implications, leading to the perception of political bias. She requested the candidate to comment on the matter. 

Ms Smuts was surprised that Mr Msomi had not seen any conflict of interest arising from a dual position as Head of KZN Government Communications and serving on the Board. Ms Smuts said that one of the requirements of maintaining the highest standard of journalism was independence from the government. He asked if he still maintained that there was not a conflict of interest.

Ms Smuts said that Mr Msomi, being involved in the news and current affairs, should bear some responsibility for what had happened in the past year, particularly the findings of the Sisulu Commission on the alleged blacklisting, which had raised issues of bias in favour of the ruling government. The instructions to various staff were arbitrary, unpredictable and reduced the news staff to a state of demoralisation. She asked what happened in relation to the disciplinary enquiry.

Mr Mohlalonga referred to the report that one of the companies in which Mr Msomi was involved had been involved in commercial activities with the SABC and requested an explanation. 

Mr Mohlalonga asked what the candidate would do to enhance the public mandate of the Board, since he mentioned there were incomplete tasks that needed to be pursued. 

The Chairperson requested clarity on his resignation from Singila this year and asked about his role as the Director of this company during the period that he was still working there. 
 
Mr Khumalo mentioned that there seemed to be some political bias in respect of coverage on the Zimbabwe situation by the SABC news, since he never heard any government official or Zanu PF members being asked to comment. 

Mr Khumalo asked why the Cape Town Mayor had been receiving more coverage than any other mayors in the country. 

Mr Khumalo asked why the SABC was not giving the ruling party the opportunity to comment on the President’s State of the Nation address, whereas it had provided a platform for opposition parties.
 
Mr Khumalo also commented on Mr Msomi’s current job, viewed against his serving on the SABC Board. He said that according to the Act he would not be excluded, however there would be issues in the Codes of Good Practice that Mr Msomi would need to pay close attention to.

Ms Yengeni mentioned that there were perceptions that the SABC excluded other economic sectors such as labour, and requested an explanation. She wondered if it would not be important to have a labour desk.

Ms Yengeni referred to the possible conflict of interest between Mr Msomi’s full time job and his membership of the Board and asked if that would not compromise his situation. She further asked if the candidate was forced to choose between the two jobs, which position would prevail.

Ms Vos asked about the Commission of Enquiry and complaints raised against the Sea Point office. She asked if the Board or he personally was aware of the submissions and if so, whether he had done anything about it.

Mr Pieterse suggested the allocation of time frames as they had open-ended investigations.

Mr Pieterse said that he could not understand why the SABC refused to show the President’s documentary that was commissioned by them in the first place.

Mr Mohlahlonga asked if commissioning would not necessarily lead to broadcasting, then did this mean that there were a number of other documentaries, or was this the only documentary that was not broadcasted.

Mr Pieterse said that the SABC should be cautious when broadcasting the Mayor, bearing in mind that she held a dual role both as Mayor and leader of a political party

Mr Mohlalonga was worried about comments around the disciplinary process on the “booing” of the KZN Premier and asked the candidate if that was newsworthy.

Mr Mohlalonga asked about advertising during news slots, requesting an explanation why that was being done.  He also asked if Mr Msomi thought that it would be possible to make a decision that there would not be advertising during the news bulletins. 

The Chairperson gave opportunity for Mr Msomi to provide his concluding remarks.

The meeting was adjourned.