Dali Mpofu’s success as a savvy student leader, ICT Charter negotiator and black economic empowerment player has come back to haunt him with his appointment as newly appointed SABC CEO. Officially the SABC was not looking for a political appointee but previous appointments have shown that political gravity is as vital as boardroom talent.
SABC spokesperson Paul Setsetse said Mpofu was reluctant to speak to the Mail & Guardian about his new job before he had started.
Mpofu succeeds Peter Matlare, who was widely accused of pandering to political whims in a futile effort to outsmart the managing editor of news, Snuki Zikalala.
His boss-to-be, Eddie Funde, the chairperson of the SABC board, reassured the M&G that the politics of a chief executive are immaterial. ”We advertised purely on the skills required for the job and Mr Mpofu has most of the skills we need,” said Funde.
Funde said the date and conditions of Mpofu’s employment were still to be discussed. Mpofu is currently serving notice at the Allied Electronics (Altron) Group, where he is executive director. This means that the other hats he wears — as boss of Boxing South Africa, chairperson of the ICT Charter working group and shareholder at Deutsche Bank — will form part of the discussions when he and the board meet.
When Mpofu arrives, he will find on his welcoming tray a note from Funde and the board asking for funds for the two new regional stations the SABC has committed itself to in an attempt to advance its project to broadcast in all official languages.
Funde says another task awaiting Mpofu is ensuring that ”our staff are looked after so that they can perform”. This has traditionally been the hardest part of running the SABC, where staff morale appears to be at a permanent low and senior staff members are employed through a revolving door.
Headlining recent staff departures is the corporation’s own legal adviser, Kitten Matthews, who is taking her employers to the CCMA. Public service head Judy Nwokedi has left and is being replaced by President Thabo Mbeki’s former aide, Thami Ntenteni; Pippa Green, head of radio news, has also quit. Former head of TV news Jimi Matthews has been deployed to a more junior position.
”We need someone who can deal with all stakeholders, besides the obvious fact that he has to manage the organisation,” Funde said. ”There are many stakeholders: sports organisations, the youth, children’s organisations, political parties and the government as shareholder. It is [therefore] not proper to single out one stakeholder [the government].”
For the purpose of fielding these contenders, Mpofu will need to rely on the skills of his other passion, boxing. As in the sport, running the SABC will require mastery, and the ability to keep one’s guard up.
Until now, Mpofu’s efforts in the corporate realm have won him more friends than enemies. But the SABC will be his big show. Everyone will be watching. As Funde says: ”There is a lot of interest in the SABC. You will not find a single person in South Africa who does not have an opinion about the SABC.”