‘MPs gun for Minister over SABC board dismissals (Daily Dispatch, Wed, 27 May 2015, Page 4)
The Ministry of Communications further reiterates that the Minister of Communications neither directly nor indirectly illegally dismissed any of the SABC Board Members as alleged.
The allegations and speculations on the Members of Parliament gunning for the Minister are entirely based on the appetite for sensationalising the matter understandably for commercial reasons by the press. Without actually discussing the matter at hand, and as stated in the article, it is important to note that the legal opinion is yet to be discussed or presented to the Minister.
It is objective to expect the opposition parties to support any adverse opinion that is set to destabilise the operations of the public broadcaster, irrespective of the intended benefits to the country.
The Minister will after objectively and thoroughly evaluating the opinion and engage through the process express her views. As matters stand currently, the Minister’s viewpoint still supports the rationale of the decision taken by the SABC board on the removal of the board members. It should be states that the legal opinion referred to is an opinion and one aspect of the process and not an end to the process itself.
The Minister believes that the Portfolio Committee affords an opportunity for robust debates. It remains disingenuous by the press to inflate a section of the discussions that appeals to their purposes that transpired from the session as the position and outcome of the meeting of that day.
The Minister remains committed to ensuring that she acts lawfully in the interest of the people of South Africa by ensuring that the SABC is stable and functional. The Minister is further delighted and encouraged that the SABC is progressing well in executing its mandate for the people of South Africa to attest. (Just as an example: the launch of ENCORE channel and the extending the NEWS Channel 404 coverage to all the 50 countries in the African Continent)
The Minister remains open and willing to engage properly on the legal opinion once she becomes privy to it and studied it for her appropriate response.
The Minister is not fazed by the creativity of the press (Daily Dispatch) in exaggerating the attitude of the members of the parliament gunning for her.
Enquiries:
Freddy Mamuremi
Tel: 012 473 0409
Cell: 071 3366 288
