SENTECH chief executive Sebiletso Mokone-ÂÂÂMatabane and her senior management’s days are numbered, writes Lloyd Gedye in the Mail & Guardian.
The Mail & Guardian has in its possession an internal ministry of communications report that calls for “serious consideration†to be given to replacing the board and executive management.
The report calls for an interim management structure to be put in place at the parastatal to oversee Sentech’s turnaround strategy.
It has been reported that Sentech board members Yvonne Muthien and Deenadayalen Konar have already resigned.
The beleaguered parastatal is expected to post a loss for the 2009-10 financial year of between R123-million and R214-million. This follows R191-million in losses posted between 2005 and 2009.
It emerged this week that Sentech will be called to account before Parliament in two weeks’ time.
Sentech is a broadcast signal ÂÂÂdistributor and has attempted to diversify into the telecoms and broadband market.
The report, which was drawn up by a ministerial task team appointed by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda, claims that the board has no oversight over the operations of the business and describes the parastatal as “rudderless, inadequately funded and misdirectedâ€ÂÂ.
There is a commonly held view within the industry that Nyanda is in fact cleaning up the mess that former communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri allowed Sentech to get into. Matsepe-Casaburri died in April last year.
“In Ivy’s era there was a lot of talking, but not a lot of action,†said one industry insider. “Nyanda is like the janitor with the broom cleaning up her mess.â€ÂÂ
Click here to read the full report, posted on M&G Online.
