Media

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) interim board has suspended four members of the broadcaster’s executive management, pending the outcome of internal disciplinary processes.

The four are the chief financial officer, Robin Nicholson, the group executive: content enterprises, Mvuzo Mbebe, the head of audience services, Anton Heunis, and the head of group procurement, Mabela Satekge.

The interim board chairperson, Irene Charnley, says that the board is committed to ensuring that the correct disciplinary process was followed.

Actor-director Sello Maake ka Ncube is going hungry for 30 days to protest the way government and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) have been spending the public’s money.

Maake, who joined a growing group of media professionals whose stated aim is to use the hunger strike to shame the SABC into getting its act together, believes South Africans are starving for local content.

Maake says he had to take a stand because the public broadcaster is abusing the African culture.

The interim board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has denied rumours that four executives had been suspended in connection with fraud and mismanagement highlighted in an auditor-general’s report.

The board was reacting to reports emanating from within the SABC that Robin Nicholson (chief financial officer), Mvuzo Mbebe (group executive: content enterprises), Mabela Satekge (head: procurement) and Anton Heunis (head: audience services) have been suspended.

Independent TV producers have called on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to make public its transformation plan and proposals for next year’s budget to allow for participation by NGOs, the TV industry and the public.

They say that unless there is participation, by the time the SABC is stabilised there will be no local production houses left in business to provide local content.