Communications minister Faith Muthambi has described the timing of the resignation of acting SABC CEO Jimi Matthews as “suspect” and hit out at him for not raising his grievances with her office.

In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, a day after news broke that Matthews had suddenly resigned, Muthambi criticised him for sharing his resignation letter on social media.

“Mr Matthews was appointed to this position because of his credentials to steer the SABC towards a commendable direction. It is unfortunate that Mr Matthews decided to turn his resignation into a social media issue, without raising his concerns internally, nor communicating his concerns with the ministry of communications,” the minister said.

“The timing of his resignation is suspect. As the ministry of communications, we have full confidence in the board of the SABC — that it will calm the situation and steer the broadcaster into the right direction,” she said.

“A stable and functional SABC is in the interest of all of us. We believe that normality will prevail,” Muthambi added.

She also took aim at political parties for what she termed attempts to “politicise the SABC matters”.

“It is unfortunate that some are looking to score political points. The SABC coverage plan for the local government elections 2016 is still in place and will be covered as scheduled,” she said in the statement.