Ramaphosa Appoints New SABC Board After Months-long Pressure from Civil Society
Lerato Ngobeni
ActionSA National Spokesperson
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a new board at the SABC, which has been operating without a one for nearly six months. And now, due to pressure from South African civil society and pending legal action, the public broadcaster has a new board.
President Ramaphosa and the ANC deliberately sought to delay the appointment of the SABC board as they were unhappy with the inclusion of certain candidates such as Phathiswa Magopeni and sought to avoid fair and accurate reporting from the public broadcaster in the run up to the 2024 elections.
The President, however, was forced to make the appointments as facing immense pressure from civil society and he knew that he was acting outside the ambit of the law.
ActionSA welcomes the appointment of the SABC board and hopes the board will restore confidence in the public broadcaster as source of accurate and fair journalism and give expression to section 16(1)(a) of the Constitution as well as ensuring its financial sustainability.
ActionSA in particular welcomes the appointment of Magopeni, former SABC Head of News, who was unfairly dismissed, for, among others, highlighting the ANC governance failures.
ActionSA stands by free, fair, independent, and accurate journalism and wishes the new SABC Board well on their difficult task ahead.
Ramaphosa Appoints New SABC Board After Months-long Pressure from Civil Society
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a new board at the SABC, which has been operating without a one for nearly six months. And now, due to pressure from South African civil society and pending legal action, the public broadcaster has a new board.
President Ramaphosa and the ANC deliberately sought to delay the appointment of the SABC board as they were unhappy with the inclusion of certain candidates such as Phathiswa Magopeni and sought to avoid fair and accurate reporting from the public broadcaster in the run up to the 2024 elections.
The President, however, was forced to make the appointments as facing immense pressure from civil society and he knew that he was acting outside the ambit of the law.
ActionSA welcomes the appointment of the SABC board and hopes the board will restore confidence in the public broadcaster as source of accurate and fair journalism and give expression to section 16(1)(a) of the Constitution as well as ensuring its financial sustainability.
ActionSA in particular welcomes the appointment of Magopeni, former SABC Head of News, who was unfairly dismissed, for, among others, highlighting the ANC governance failures.
ActionSA stands by free, fair, independent, and accurate journalism and wishes the new SABC Board well on their difficult task ahead.