Communications minister Faith Muthambi told ANC MPs not to interfere in her department’s affairs after they told her to show leadership, it was reported on Wednesday.
They also urged her to halt the process to appoint the new CEO of the SABC until the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry over the qualifications of board chair Zandile Tshabalala, according to a report in The Sowetan.
ANC MP Maesela Kekana told Muthambi to show leadership by turning around the entities that report to her.
The SABC received a qualified audit for the 2013/2014 financial year, which has been largely attributed to its failure to fill key vacancies, such as that of CEO.
Kekana said: “It tells me that minister, [you] should lead… You can’t come here and we tell you one thing everyday, ‘fill up the post’, [which] is an easy thing”.
Muthambi said: “You know the question of separation of powers… You should not pronounce yourself on that so that you allow the process of separation of powers to apply”.
She then indicated that she was waiting for a government vetting agency report and would press to appoint an SABC CEO by the end of November.
The exchange took place during a meeting of parliament’s portfolio committee on communications on audit reports of entities reporting to the minister. — Sapa