Cape Town - Criminal records and bad credit ratings came back to haunt some of the candidates interviewed for appointments to the SABC permanent board.
On Monday, the communications portfolio committee received the security clearance report from the State Security Agency (SSA) following three-day interviews last week.
The SSA report gave negative reports to four of the candidates that were interviewed and due for possible appointment while another was already disqualified.
Briefing the committee, chairman Humphrey Maxegwana said there were a few who have a negative report.
Maxegwana named Michael Bauer, who was disqualified because as non-South African, Chris Khorommbi, Gladys Nethengwe, Nkosana Mbokane as having bad credit ratings.
The judgements against them ranged from defaulting in payments to the banks, cellphone company and a school.
One of the candidates, Mbokane, was to email the letter from the banks and Vodacom clearing of the negative record, Maxegwana said.
He also said Manaka Mathumo and Nethengwe had criminal records and their "fingerprints be submitted to verify that".
Maxegwana said the committee had yet to receive a report on the verification of qualifications.
"There is a few that are done but not the rest.”
After parties agreed to deliberate on the 12 to be recommended to Parliament, DA’s Phumzile van Damme told the committee that the Broadcasting Act did not disqualify people who have adverse civil judgements.
Maxegwana said if a report was adverse from the Auditor-General, it's a serious matter.
ANC’s Mziwamadoda Kalako warned against disadvantaging people who only have bad credit rating.
“It is different from a criminal record,” Kalako said.
Cope’s Willy Madisha noted the criminal report was not complete as those named had to submit their fingerprints for verification.
“It means the report itself is not complete...This point of people with credit record to be excluded is a problem,” he said.
“We need to consider that unless a person as a result of that kind of thing has gone out to steal and kill,” Madisha said.
After Van Damme read out sections of the Broadcast Act which state conditions in which people did not qualify to be appointed to the board.
These include being not a South AFrican, declared by court to be mentally ill, convicted of any offence without the option of a fine and conviction of theft, fraud, forgery and uttering a forged document, perjury or an offence in terms of the Corruption Act.
Meanwhile, the report on the chosen 12 candidates will be submitted to the sitting of National Assembly when it meets tomorrow.
“It won't be part of discussions today. Tomorrow definitely,” Maxegwana said.