It's all smoke and mirrors, babe...

Yesterday the SABC board chairperson, Dr Ben Ngubane told Parliament Mr Justice Ndaba is not an employee of the SABC, but an outsider! Who then is the Juctice Ndaba who was introduced by the SABC and who introduced himself as the Acting Head of Human Capital Services and Acting Head of Strategy?

Which Juctice Ndaba attended Board and EXCO meetings? It cannot be the outsider Justice Ndaba because outsiders have never attended those meetings and it would be highly improper for outsiders to attend SABC Board and EXCO meetings. Which Dr Ngubane chaired those meetings well knowing the Mr Ndaba in attendance is not the outsider, but the properly appointed one? Which Dr. Ngubane chaired Board meetings with the outsider Ndaba in attendance, and allowed an outsider to sit in very strategic Board and EXCO meetings?

Which Dr Ngubane's Board Member appointed which Mr Ndaba on a one year Fixed Term contract in the TPU (Turnaround Planning Unit) outside the approved structures and which Dr Ngubane then, without approval appointed a Mr Ndaba as the acting Head of Strategy and later acting Head of Human Capital Services too?

And which Board signed off the SABC's financial statements where on page 140 a Mr Ndaba has been listed as Senior Management, Acting Group Executive and he earned a salary of R450 000 for the fiscal?

Since when does outsiders travel on SABC expenses, introduce themselves on news conferences as the Acting Head of Human Capital Services and Strategy and appoint people and sign contracts on behalf of the SABC?

Which Juctice Ndaba attended Executive Management training in London and was supposed to go to Singapore and Dubai? Which Juctice Ndaba claimed S&T from the SABC's coffers? No outsider can claim S&T!

And which Juctice has intimate knowledge of the altercation in London between those woman our conservative parents warned us against and Executive Management Course attendees?

Full-time employees must not take any instructions from fake people and outsiders. By law they are only obliged to comply with instructions from their managers, who naturally must be employees of the SABC.

Which Board is responsible for not approving the R60m tender won by Wesbank? This matter is believed to be on Board Agenda since the new board was appointed. Is it not gross negligence, failure to exercise proper oversight and dereliction of duties? Is it not bringing the SABC's name in disrepute, if that is still possible? If the contract with Debis came to an end as has been claimed on p. 25 of the Annual Report, why did SABC went ahead to hire vehicles from them?

Who hired Deloite Consulting without following the procurement process, and what broadcasting experience does they have? In fact, who are they? Why do they have to travel to the BBC on a frequent basis? Why do they solicit input from SABC employees, and present same as their work? What exactly have they been paid at least R27m for? What, which we have not seen to date has resulted in this huge expense?

How much more Juctices or is it Justices work for the SABC? And why do we now get the impression the real or the fake Justice is now being thrown away by the Board like an unwanted love child of a married man? By stating publicly Mr Ndaba is an outsider opens a completely new can of worms, in terms of corporate governance, oversight, wrong procedures, etc. Is it time for another AG investigation? Maybe to determine who is who in the Zoo?

Is this the real SABC? Maybe there is another SABC we don't know about, which is the real SABC. Maybe that SABC is managed by real people, a real Board and they really cares about Public Broadcasting and its employees, it's image and the citizens who are entitled to a neutral effective and efficient public service.

Let's find that SABC!

Hannes du Buisson
President
BEMAWU