There is no revolt at the SABC, the public broadcaster’s board chairman Obert Maguvhe said on Tuesday.
“The SABC is stable,” he told reporters at its Auckland Park head office, via video link from the SABC’s Polokwane studio.
He said he was surprised people thought there was an internal revolt. He believed people were spreading rumours and that they simply wanted to keep the SABC from achieving its mandate.
“We need to also understand that people can’t be SABC employees forever. People come and go,” he said.
Maguvhe said disciplining employees was an internal matter. He was referring to the suspension of three SABC journalists last Thursday.
Economics editor Thandeka Gqubule, RSG executive producer Foeta Krige and Afrikaans news producer Suna Venter were served with the papers stating that they were suspended indefinitely. They had raised questions about a decision not to cover the Right2Know campaign’s protest outside the SABC’s Auckland Park office.
The broadcaster has faced increasing criticism following chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s decision last month not to show footage of violent protests.
“It’s an internal matter and I believe the executives with power invested in them have quality and experience to discipline when needed,” Maguvhe said.
“People are not irreplaceable. We have a lot of talent at the SABC and people who are going out can be replaced.”
He appealed to political parties not to interfere in the SABC’s decision as it was a public organisation.
The broadcaster would launch channels to cater for Venda and Afrikaans speakers in future, he said.
Maguvhe said he respected acting group CEO Jimi Matthews’s decision to resign and wished him well. On Monday, Matthews said the SABC’s “corrosive atmosphere” had negatively affected his moral judgment, and made him complicit in decisions he “was not proud of”.
Maguvhe confirmed that James Aguma would take over from Matthews.
Audrey Raphela was appointed the new acting CFO.