In another twist in the SABC saga, businessman Peter Vundla has quit
the board of the national broadcaster, while it was confirmed on
Saturday that Kgalema Motlanthe, the president, has signed the
controversial broadcasting bill giving Parliament the power to sack the
entire board, writes Edwin Naidu in the Sunday Independent.
Vundla told The Sunday Independent he had left, but would not give reasons for the decision, but a colleague on the board said he (Vundla) had been fed-up with the interference by Kanyisiwe Mkhonza, the chairwoman and Christine Qunta, the deputy chairwoman, in the affairs of the troubled corporation.
"That (my reasons) would be for another time," Vundla said.
But another board member said: "He's been trying to fight from the inside, always questioning them at board meetings, but with the current events, he's had enough, and decided to give up in fear of tarnishing his name."
Thabo Masebe, the presidential spokesperson, said the Broadcasting Amendment Bill had been gazetted.
Vundla's resignation, along with the internal troubles at the broadcaster, which have seen the SABC's finances take a heavy dive with projected losses of up to R800-million, is set to intensify pressure on the board.
Tension between Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, the Minister of Communications, and Mkhonza is set to boil over in court again soon.
The minister has filed papers in the case involving Mvuzo Mbebe, the group executive for content enterprises at the SABC, who believes he should have been appointed chief operations officer.
The minister says in the papers that she had nothing to do with the SABC's decision not to appoint him.
Click here to read the fullr eport, posted on iol.co.za.
