Kanyisiwe Mkonza, the chairperon of the SABC board, is facing a revolt from within her own board, writes Edwin Naidu in the Sunday Independent.
She has been asked to resign on the eve of a crucial meeting tomorrow with Siphiwe Nyanda, the Minister of Communications, and days before a board meeting where a motion of no confidence is expected to be tabled against her over alleged breaches of corporate governance.
In a letter to fellow board members, Bheki Khumalo accuses Mkonza of misconduct for allegedly:
# Harassing and victimising Dali Mpofu, who was fired as group chief executive, costing the SABC R15 million in legal fees and severance pay;
# Hiring a car and driver without proper authorisation at a cost of R200 000;
# Granting sabbatical leave to a Pearl Luthuli, the SABC3 channel boss, costing the corporation R500 000;
# Misleading the board in the appointment of a chief operating officer, costing the corporation R1 million in legal bills; and
# Using an outside company to spy on the board members at exorbitant costs.
She is also accused of unauthorised expenditure amounting to R180 000 for having a security guard posted outside her home for a year.
Asked whether she would step down and how she planned to respond to the letter, Mkonza said: "I am not going to respond to any of the claims. It must go to the board. We are meeting on Thursday."
Asked if she should be held accountable for all that has gone wrong at the corporation, she said: "It is incorrect. Everybody sat on the board, but it looks as if I only took decisions, yet we operated as a collective.
"If people have issues they should raise them before the board.
"It is not true that only one person can damage an organisation. I will deal with any matter when and if it's formally put in front of the board, and not through the media.
"If the board asks me to resign, they will do so at that meeting."
Khumalo, a board member, said in the letter that he would call for Mkonza's removal as chairwoman on Thursday.
He also said the SABC should not have allowed Snuki Zikalala, the managing director of news and current affairs, to leave without disciplinary charges against him being finalised – this while the board, influenced and led by Mkonza and Christine Qunta, the former deputy chairwoman, pursued the case against Mpofu.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.
