Stalemate at SABC as minister and board haggle over planned retrenchments
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has made it clear that she is opposed to retrenchments
The planned job cuts at the cash-strapped SABC have set communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams at odds with her board, with the minister accusing the directors of not acting in the best interest of the company. Like her predecessor, Nomvula Mokonyane, Ndabeni-Abrahams who was recently appointed to the portfolio has made it clear that she is opposed to the retrenchments and has suggested that President Cyril Ramaphosa should intervene. The SABC board on the other hand maintains it has little choice but to let go over 2,000 workers in order to remain sustainable. The impasse is set to test the board’s independence. Late in 2017, the high court in Pretoria affirmed the independence of the SABC board, which had long been bedevilled by political interference, precipitating the collapse of previous boards. In a strongly worded letter to SABC board chairman Bongumusa Makhathini at the weekend, Ndabeni-Abrahams stated that Parliament also opposed the retrenchments with the portfoli...
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