Johannesburg – Parliament’s public accounts committee (Scopa), the African National Congress study group on Scopa, and the Congress of the People have all welcomed the suspension of South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) acting chief executive officer and permanent chief financial officer James Aguma.
“The committee seriously wants to get rid of the financial mismanagement and maladministration at the SABC. Scopa wants the corrupt elements that existed to be rooted out. Scopa has committed to meet regularly with the SABC until its finances are in order,” Scopa chairman Themba Godi said in a statement on Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago confirmed Aguma’s suspension. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) would like to announce the suspension of acting group chief executive officer (AGCEO) Mr James Aguma. Mr Tseliso Ralitabo, group executive: media, technology, and infrastructure, will be acting as the GCEO. At this stage, SABC can unfortunately not reveal any further details due to internal processes,” he said.
ANC study group on Scopa chairman Mnyamezeli Booi said the suspension followed a recent recommendation by Scopa that Aguma be placed on suspension while the interim SABC board conducted its forensic investigation into irregularities in procurement and expenditure at the SABC.
“We are confident of the efforts by the interim SABC board in their commitment of restoring good governance and public confidence in our public broadcaster,” he said.
Cope spokesman Willy Madisha said that from his interactions with the SABC as a member of Parliament’s communications portfolio committee and having followed the investigations and findings into the SABC by the ad-hoc committee on the SABC, it “is evident that Aguma has been complicit in the maladministration, corruption, destabilisation, and abuse of the SABC for narrow political ends that was committed with impunity over many years”.
“Cope supports the actions of the SABC interim board and trust that this suspension will be followed by the swift institution of disciplinary proceedings and appropriate sanction. There surely is no place in a proper functioning, clean, and progressively governed SABC for the likes of characters such as Aguma,” he said.