The Democratic Alliance (DA) has said that the immediate resignation of South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board member Rachel Kalidass on Thursday morning was a definitive sign that it is back to "business as usual" at the public broadcaster.

This comes as Kalidass, a chartered accountant nominated for the board by all political parties, tendered her resignation from the SABC following clashes over the preferred choice for group chief executive officer and chief operating officer.

In a letter to Parliament on Thursday morning, Kalidass cited victimization by fellow board members following her objection to a "CEO candidate having allegations of fraud and corruption levelled against him during his previous employment, as well as a conflict of interest with a significant SABC content service provider" being supported by the majority of board members to head the public broadcaster.

DA spokesperson Phumzile van Damme said the candidate preferred by the SABC board for chief executive position was Alan Mukoki, the current chief executive of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and former chief executive of the Land Bank.

Van Damme said that despite being eminently qualified, Mukoki was a "wholly unsuitable" candidate for the position and an inappropriate choice based on his history in the public sector.

She encouraged the SABC board to reconsider and save the public broadcaster a likely long-drawn-out battle for Mukoki’s removal as CEO, saying that the SABC was showing all the signs of going down the same road unless the decline is stopped immediately.

"Whether the ANC will be as seized about arresting the decline at the SABC remains to be seen, particularly given the tacit support for the re-capture of the SABC, as exhibited over the last few weeks," Van Damme said.

"It is deeply worrying that the decline at the SABC is following the same pattern as it did with the previous board. A candidate in Hlaudi Motsoeneng was forced through despite objections from some board members; some board members resignated or were dismissed following their objections, resulting in a terminal downward spiral culminating in the SABC inquiry."

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications is scheduled to meet with the SABC on Friday, 24 November in Johannesburg.

Van Damme said given Kalidass's resignation, the DA will request that this meeting be brought forward and the issues she raises be immediately addressed before any further damage is done.