The mass resignations at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which effectively left the broadcaster without a board, have caused yet another delay in migration to digital television.
The broadcaster's board is required to sign off on the appointment of a conditional access provider, which will provide decryption software for set-top boxes. Without a decision on set-top box controls, the tender for the decoders cannot be awarded.
Meetings are being held today in a bid to put an interim board in place, and the Department of Communications (DOC) is hopeful that the tender will be issued by mid-May. It had been waiting for boxes to become available before launching digital television.
SA was meant to switch on digital towards the end of last year, but this was delayed due to a court case over the issue of controls.
Free-to-air broadcaster etv took the DOC to court over its decision to have Sentech handle controls. The broadcaster won its bid and the parties have since agreed that broadcasters will appoint a controller, subject to the authority of the Independent Communications Authority of SA.
Corporate governance
Etv says the SABC is taking the lead in this process, because it has specific corporate governance requirements relating to procurement.
SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago says discussions have been taking place between stakeholders, and progress has been made around the issue of set-up boxes.
"However, as all processes for the set-top boxes have not been finalised, we will comment once there is clarity and all the processes are finalised."
ITWeb understands that etv, the SABC and Sentech were about to reach agreement on set-top box controls, which only required sign off by the SABC's board.
However, without a board, the SABC cannot ink an agreement that would resolve the issue of set-top box controls. Yesterday, six board members quit, taking the total number of recent resignations to nine, and leaving the board with three members and the group CEO.
Deputy DG for ICT policy, Themba Phiri, says the resignations put the department in a predicament. He explains that eight people resigned at the point when the board was on the verge of making a decision.
The lack of a functioning board at the SABC holds back the decision, and the tender, says Phiri. He hopes that an interim board will be in place in 10 days, but this is still wasted time, as the new board will have to consider the recommendation.
Phiri hopes that controls will be agreed upon by 15 April, and the tender issued about a month later. The department had hoped to finally issue the tender this month, in time for a mid-year turn on. Phiri would not comment on when digital television may be turned on.
Out the door
Last week, SABC chairman Ben Ngubane and deputy chairman Thami ka Plaatjie resigned. Yesterday, these were followed by non-executive directors Sembie Danana, Lumko Mtimde, Cedric Gina, Desmond Golding, Cawe Mahlati and Noluthando Gosa, says the DA's shadow minister of communications Marian Shinn.
Shinn adds that board member Patricia Makhesha resigned last month, and acting COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng was removed from the board a while ago, although the circumstances surrounding his removal are dogged with controversy. CFO Gugu Duda has been suspended and Tian Olivier is in an acting position, she adds. This leaves group CEO Lulama Mokhobo and three non-executives: Suzanne Vos, Pippa Green and Claire McNeil.
Shinn explains that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications will be sitting today in a bid to put an interim board into place. However, before an interim board can be selected, at least three executives have to be in place, and the COO slot is still vacant, she says. "That's today's challenge."
Should communications minister Dina Pule accept the now defunct board's previous recommendation that Mike Saluma take over as COO, then there will be sufficient executives to move forward with an interim board, says Shinn. In the meantime, digital television is beset by another delay, she notes.
Shinn says the mass resignations are a "tragedy".
Update
Post-publication, media reports suggested Vos and Green had also stepped down and that the portfolio committee had voted in favour of asking the National Assembly to dissolve the board, which now only comprises the group CEO. ITWeb was not immediately able to confirm these reports, as neither Shinn, Pule's spokesman, nor committee chair Eric Kholwane were available.
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