A perceived lack of credibility is the biggest challenge facing the SABC, says Kanyisiwe Mkonza, the newly appointed chairperson of the public broadcaster’s board, and she plans to tackle it head on.
The past few years have been very difficult for the SABC, she says. She wants to take stock and get to the root of the problems.
‘We need to ask: Where did we go wrong and how can we get things back on track?†says Mkonza, who is serving her second term on the board.
The SABC has been no stranger to controversy in recent years, with the blacklisting of political analysts, allegations of fraud against legal head Mafika Sihlali, the censorship of a documentary on President Thabo Mbeki and allegations of political bias by factions of the ANC dominating headlines.
When the Mail & Guardian puts it to Mkonza that the SABC may find itself caught between competing factions of the ANC she brushes aside these concerns.
‘My personal stance is that I have confidence in President Mbeki and I have confidence in the ANC leadership. If there is any impact on public institutions they will be able to resolve them,†she says.
An associate of Mkonza, who does not want to be named, says that ever since her days in the Soweto Youth Congress she has been a unifier, the kind of person who makes sure that everyone feels accommodated.
The associate says that Mkonza would be very aware of what happened in Polokwane and she would work to make sure that allegations of political bias are addressed.
Issues such as the blacklisting saga have a trail that needs to be picked up on and handled appropriately, says the new board chairperson.
‘We need to look at the way these issues were dealt with. The SABC needs to start getting things back on track by listening to the South African public when they say they have lost confidence in the SABC.â€
The M&G reported in September last year that a confidential market research survey commissioned by the SABC news and current affairs division found that South Africans from all language groups found that the public broadcaster treats government officials with kid gloves and tends ‘to cover up†government’s wrongdoings.
Mkonza says the SABC needs to ask where it went wrong and to listen to complaints without getting defensive.
‘Maybe there is truth there, maybe it is unfounded, but we have to listen to those voices,†she says.
Mkonza says she can remain level-headed and stay focused under pressure — surely qualities that will assist her in her new challenges.
She expresses surprise about her appointment to the top position at the public broadcaster. In an unforseen move President Thabo Mbeki announced in late December that Mkonza, and not the widely touted Christine Qunta, would head the board, a move many have described as a compromise.
Qunta is widely viewed as an Mbeki-ite and with the president in such a weakened position after being trounced by Jacob Zuma at the ANC’s 52nd national conference, many commentators felt he opted for the safer option of Mkonza. Qunta has been appointed deputy chairperson.
Democratic Alliance spokesperson on communications Dene Smuts says that Mbeki’s selection of Mkonza is the product of his defeat at Polokwane, but she welcomes the new chairperson, who, she says, has made quite an impression.
Smuts says Mkonza’s background in community broadcasting and her role as the chairperson of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) stand her in good stead in her new role.
Mkonza is a founding member of the Soweto community radio station, now known as Jozi FM, and served on the board of the National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) from 1993 to 1996.
Sibongile Kubeka, a former colleague of Mkonza at the NCRF and currently a consultant at the MDDA, says she nominated Mkonza for the SABC board because she is a good leader who listens to and values other people’s opinions.
An SABC board member, who also does not want to be named, says that Mkonza’s background in the community broadcasting sector is a major plus because she is passionate about broadcasting and has a real understanding of challenges on the ground. It is great for continuity because Mkonza served on the last SABC board and her time at the MDDA would benefit her because she had experience in handling a board and delivering on a mandate.
The board member describes Mkonza as a transparent and open individual who is consultative in the way she works.
‘She strikes me as the kind of person who will want to know what everybody thinks — she realises the value in that,†says the board member.
The associate of Mkonza describes her as a matriarch of community broadcasting and says she is a very soft-spoken person who can be very firm when she needs to be.