Cape Town - Minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda says he will welcome the dissolving of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board, describing it as dysfunctional.
"What is important, going forward, is that we must have an SABC that produces results and carries out its mandate. If they said 'dissolve us', I would welcome it. We need to address the inefficiency of the broadcaster," said Minister Nyanda.
The minister had met with the SABC board and Portfolio Committee on Communications earlier in the day.
"I told them that it was incumbent on them to ensure a proper board was in place and that all must take responsibility in this regard. I asked them if they think they're a dysfunctional board and whether they can go forward."
Minister Nyanda said there was a need to appoint senior management at the broadcaster, but this could not be done without a proper board of executives.
The Portfolio Committee had held an inquiry into the ailing board. Many board members resigned, leaving only one member out of 12 remaining.
The board therefore no longer has a quorum.
The last remaining board member, Alison Gillwald, said there was nothing to resign from. She said she was prepared to sit on an interim board but would not be available to serve on a new board.
The series of resignations follows a motion of no confidence being filed against board chairwoman Kanyi Mkhonza. .
Committee Chairperson Ismael Vadi called on committee members to informally start canvassing their own party caucus around new members, including a chairman and deputy chairperson, for an interim board.
SABC board members have until midnight on Thursday to make submissions to the committee.
Mr Vadi called for the committee to reconvene on Friday. If the meeting proposes that the board be dissolved, the application would have to be put before the National Assembly to allow an interim board to be appointed.
The minister said the appointment of the board was an open and public process.
"Anyone can nominate anyone. We try our best to get the best people who will serve with integrity. The process, as defined in the law, must be open and informed by the Public Broadcasting Act."
The SABC has been experiencing liquidity problems as a result of its funding model, the global credit crunch, lowered advertising and the rapidly rising costs of content.
As part of a turnaround strategy, the corporation is looking at various measures to ensure its sustainability and viability, including the implementation of the Austerity Plan, the freezing of vacant posts, optimisation of TV license revenue and continuous engagement with government to find solutions on the funding of the organisations.
Deputy Minister Dina Pule said the funding model of the public broadcaster must be reviewed.
"There must be a balance between its public and private funding. A total of 98 percent [of its capital] is private funding from advertising while two percent is from public funds. As government, we want to balance it more in line with how it is done internationally."
Minister Nyanda, however, said the balance would not amount to a 50:50 ratio, nor would it be a 40:60 ratio.
"We will look into how much government supports the SABC. We need to increase it, but I don't want to put percentage to it," said the minister.
