/ 8 March 2017

Parliament’s communications committee agrees on five names for SABC interim board

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Parliament’s communications committee has agreed on five names it will recommend to the National Assembly to constitute an interim SABC board.

MPs agreed on Krish Naidoo, Febe Potgieter-Gqubule, Khanyisile Kweyama, Mathatha Tsedu and John Matisonn at an urgent committee meeting on Wednesday.

The ANC nominated Naidoo, Potgieter-Gqubule and Kweyama. It also supported the EFF’s nomination of Tsedu, a veteran journalist and editor.

Naidoo is a former board member who resigned publicly in October. He is a qualified lawyer with expertise in compliance.

Potgieter-Gqubule would be strong on governance and policy, the ANC said. She was recently deputy chief of staff for former African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The Democratic Alliance nominated Matisonn, a media studies professor and former executive editor of SABC radio.

EFF and Congress of the People MPs were not present at the meeting on Wednesday. The EFF apologised for not being able to attend.

Committee chairperson Humphrey Maxegwana said the five names would be sent on to the National Assembly for discussion when it adopts a final report on the interim board next Tuesday.

The committee needed to clarify that its mandate included nominating an SABC board chairperson, which traditionally was the responsibility of the president, he said. – News24