Yolande van Biljon, the chief financial officer of the SABC, has resigned from the beleaguered public broadcaster and will leave the company at the end of the month.

The SABC said in a statement on Friday that Tendai Matore will serve as acting CFO until such time as a permanent replacement has been found.

“Ms van Biljon, who joined the SABC in 2018 for her first five-year term, has made invaluable contributions to the organisation,” the statement said.

“As a member of the leadership team, she has greatly contributed to the strengthening of our financial position, culminating in the achievement of an unqualified audit opinion for the first time in 14 years.

“The SABC board, management and staff extend their sincere gratitude to Ms van Biljon for her contribution to the organisation. While saddened by her departure, the corporation fully respects her decision and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.”

Matore, a chartered accountant with an MBA in finance from Durham Business School in the UK, has been with the SABC since 2017.

“The SABC board is prioritising the recruitment of a permanent CFO to ensure continuity and alignment with the corporation’s five-year strategy,” the broadcaster said.

SABC Bill drama

Van Biljon’s resignation comes as politicians in the government of national unity squabble over communications minister Solly Malatsi’s decision this week to withdraw the SABC Bill, which is meant to deal with the broadcaster’s funding model.

Read: Ructions over SABC are just ‘democracy at work’: Solly Malatsi

Malatsi, who is a senior MP for the Democratic Alliance, has been criticised by his deputy – and former communications minister – Mondli Gungubele for his decision to withdraw the bill. Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who is also a former communications minister, has even said that legally he did not have the power to do so. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media

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