/ 28 May 2010

Outraged board caught off guard

The four candidates on the SABC's shortlist for head of news still had to be evaluated when the announcement came that Phil Molefe had been appointed.

The four candidates on the SABC’s shortlist for head of news still had to go through evaluation, scoring and assessments when the surprise announcement came last week that Phil Molefe had been appointed to the post.

The Mail & Guardian has learned from reliable sources that the board had not yet seen the final recommendations by the panel appointed to screen the candidates.

But Ben Ngubane, SABC board chairperson, claimed last weekend he had not breached corporate governance by appointing Molefe.

Ngubane and Solly Mokoetle, SABC chief executive officer, both approved Molefe’s appointment without consulting the other 10 board members, although the SABC’s governance rules stipulate that the appointment of a head of news has to be made by the board.

The appointment has now been overturned.

Molefe, who had been acting in the post for a year, was one of the shortlisted candidates. Two of the others are Karima Brown, Business Day political editor, and Jimi Matthews, former head of SABC television news.

The M&G understands that the board members were outraged when they read in newspapers last week that Ngubane had announced the appointment of Molefe.

In a statement released this week, Ngubane said he had authorised his appointment because he felt that Molefe satisfied all the requirements for the post.

“After considering all the factors before me, that necessitated the speedy finalisation of the process,” wrote Ngubane. “After going through the SABC booklet on criteria for interviews, I made the decision because he satisfied all the requirements as agreed to by all board members.”

There is a clear understanding among board members there must be vigilance around corporate governance, especially considering the broadcaster’s recent history.

It is not known why Ngubane preferred Molefe for the post and speculation that it was for political reasons could be not be verified. Some insiders believe Ngubane pushed through the appointment because he hoped that the board would not rock the boat so close to the World Cup.

There has been no suggestion that the board feels Ngubane should be removed but the M&G understands concern has been expressed that trust has been lost and that it might be difficult for the board to work with him in future.

But Hannes du Buisson, president of the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu), said Ngubane and Mokoetle should be suspended. “This was a breach of corporate governance and, especially during a time when there needs to be a turnaround at the SABC, it is unacceptable,” he said.

“We also don’t believe Molefe is the best candidate for the job. He has been in that job before and the SABC chose to replace him, so clearly they were also not happy with him. And we believe that he is susceptible to influence from outside.”

The SABC board is also concerned that Ngubane gave Mokoetle permission six weeks ago to spend R20-million more than the board had agreed to when he negotiated the broadcasting rights to the next Africa Cup of Nations.

The additional amount would need to be cleared by the treasury and the department of communications, the M&G has been told.

Ngubane had gone beyond his delegated authority in approving that amount, concerned sources said.

Ngubane said in newspaper reports that negotiations for the Africa Cup of Nations had not yet been completed. The M&G could not reach him for comment on this.