/ 11 June 2011

Who are the four new SABC board members?

Jacob Zuma has appointed four non-executive members to the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Who are they?

President Jacob Zuma has appointed four non-executive members to the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to serve until 2015, the presidency said on Friday.

They are Sethe Patricia Makhesha, John Sembie Danana, Cawekazi Benedicta Mahlati and Lumko Caesario Mtimde.

They replace the four who resigned last year: Felleng Sekha, Barbara Masekela, David Niddrie and Makgatho Mello.

“I wish them all the success in this important endeavour and I am certain that they are aware of the immense responsibility the nation has placed on them, to serve the country through our national broadcaster, the SABC,” Zuma said in a statement.

The appointments were made in terms of the Broadcasting Act of 1999 and would come into effect from June 3, for a term ending on June 9 2015.

According to a profile issued by the office of the African National Congress Chief Whip in Parliament in March, Makhesha has 16 years’ work experience in various transformation and communication fields.

This includes developing and implementing marketing strategies, branding, internal and external communications, corporate social investment and event management.

Experience:
Dr Sethe Patricia Makhesha
Makesha holds a doctorate degree from the University of Missouri business school, a national diploma in public relations management from Technikon SA and executive programmes from the Harvard and University of the Witwatersrand business schools.

She has been with Global Forest Products as group corporate development manager, has been manager for marketing and communication at the ABSA Group , a journalist at the SABC in 1996 and a public relations practitioner at the SA Air Force.

The Women in Water Award for 2005 was awarded to Makesha in the category of policy and management.

She was the youngest board member of the Rand Water Board and the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority and also had her own company named Mothibi Multi Media Services from 2007.

John Sembie Danana
Danana’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Journalism and BA Honours in social anthropology from Rhodes University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

A former university lecturer, he has served at executive leadership level in companies such as Harmony Gold Mining Group, Foodcorp and First Uranium Corporation.

His other commitments included vice-president for business transformation at the First Uranium Corporation and a member of the Mbambushe Investment Company.

Cawekazi Benedicta Mahlati
Mahlathi’s qualifications include a law degree from the University of Lesotho and a degree in international law and diplomacy from the Diplomatic Academy in Australia.

She is the former acting chief executive of the Bophuthatswana Broadcasting Corporation, chief executive of the Gauteng Tourism Authority, manager of corporate affairs at M-Net and a member of the board of M-Net.

Mahlathi also served as a public prosecutor for the Zimbabwe Justice Ministry, as an associate corporate lawyer in the United States, and a legal adviser in South Africa.

She was appointed by former president Nelson Mandela to the Censorship Board and also headed a convergence sub-committee under former telecommunications minister Jay Naidoo.

She was also part of the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcast Migration Committee under the late minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri and is currently in the ICT business.

Lumko Caesario Mtimde
Mtimde’s qualifications include a BSc degree in biochemistry and physiology from the University of the Western Cape, a post-graduate diploma in telecommunications information technology policy from Unisa, and a media advertising programme from Columbia University.

He is a member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, Communications Science Advisory Board at Unisa, and serves on the boards of the Eastern Cape Information Technology Initiative and the South African Advertising Research Foundation.

Mtimde is a former member of the board of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and a councillor for the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

He was chief executive for the National Community Radio Forum, chief director for broadcasting policy at the ministry of communications, vice-president for the Southern and East Africa region of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasting.

He is also a founding member of the National Community Radio Forum, Bush Radio and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Africa.

Mtimde is currently chief executive of the Media Development and Diversity Agency. — Sapa