JOHANNESBURG - Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has declared the executive salaries of the SABC, saying the current crop of executives at the public broadcaster were earning significantly less than their predecessors.
Responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces on Thursday, Mokonyane announced that the current Group Chief Executive Officer earns a remuneration package of R5.1 million; the Chief Operations Officer earns a total of R4 million and the Chief Financial Officer, an amount of R3 million.
These packages amount to 1.1% of the current salary bill of the SABC. Mokonyane said the turnaround of the SABC cannot just be based on the laying off of workers but a total review of the business and the funding model of the SABC.
She reiterated the view of government to have a comprehensive Turn-Around Task-Team that includes the board of the SABC, Treasury and the Department of Communications to ensure they finalise a sustainable turnaround plan.
“Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, has agreed to meet and engage on the state of the SABC and the turnaround plan within the next three weeks to find solutions to the current financial challenges confronting the SABC. “The shareholder to date has not consented to the current process of retrenchments currently being pursued by the Board and Management of the SABC,” said Mokonyane.
Responding to whether or not action has been taken against those found to have been responsible for the current challenges that face the SABC, Mokonyane said the current board and executives are acting on the recommendations and outcomes of the various investigations that pronounced on the SABC, specifically the Public Protector and the Special Investigative Unit, and Parliamentary Enquiry reports.
The Minister has also made a call for the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), together with Parliament, to seriously review the government funding of the public mandate of the SABC, which is currently insignificant when compared to the cost of delivering on that mandate
Disaster waiting to happen
Following Mokonyane's declaration, - The DA Shadow Minister of Communications, Phumzile Van Damme, said that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is a clear disaster waiting to happen.
"This is but a marginal R1.2 million decrease compared to the highly inflated R13.3 million paid to top management last financial year, largely as a result of huge yearly increases during the Hlaudi Motsoeneng era."
Van Damme went on to add that the SABC was, therefore, misleading the public when they indicated that the salaries of “the executive management have been significantly reduced”.