Johannesburg - The SACP wants the MultiChoice television monopoly broken and has called on the Competition Commission to investigate the company’s hold on the pay TV market.
The SACP has also called on Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and Parliament’s communications oversight committee to investigate allegations about the governance and operational challenges at the SABC.
The portfolio committee is chaired by Joyce Moloi Moropa, who is also the national treasurer of the SACP.
A deal involving the sale of SABC archives to MultiChoice is said to be at the centre of the current board turmoil and recent spate of exits, including that of board member Hope Zinde.
“The SACP wishes to place it on record that we are strongly opposed to the privatisation of the SABC archives as these are a national resource that must be kept in public hands. We are equally concerned about the not-so-transparent collusion of the SABC with MultiChoice, in a manner that is strengthening the monopoly hold by MultiChoice,” a party statement said.
The SACP said the agreement between the SABC and MultiChoice needed to be made public.
The call came as the board for the first time defended its decision to remove Zinde before the
members of the communications portfolio committee on Tuesday.
The acting chairman of the SABC board, Professor Mbulaheni Obert Maghuve, said the public broadcaster would “flourish” if certain MPs were not “dividing” members of the board and interfering in its business.
“The division that you see among board members, it is due to the interference by some of members of this House. They are dividing us because, for instance, when I receive a letter, I know that one or two other board members will be copied.
“Honourable (Gavin) Davis, when he writes to me there will be a name or two, including that of Hope Zinde. And now I ask myself, why specifically that one? Why not all the members? So these divisions must come to an end so that we are able to fulfil our mandate without interference,” said Maghuve.
On Zinde’s removal, Maghuve said the matter was closed.
“As far as we are concerned as the board, we followed due processes to remove her and as you may have heard, she’s removed. The matter is closed. From our side once we remove we remove,” said Maghuve.
He said given time and space to do its work, “you will see SABC flourishing”.
“As long as you interfere, no board will serve for the period that it was appointed for. Even if we go today and there would be another board tomorrow, because of this interference no board will survive. SABC will not do its duty,” said Maghuve.
Chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng attacked Davis over his comments on irregular expenditure at the public broadcaster.
Motsoeneng asked Davis to “act honourably” and not “distort” information about the SABC.
Political Bureau