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Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) yesterday witnessed a stunning and unprecedented display of disarray and organisational incompetence by various members of the SABC’s board and management.

Tensions amongst SABC directors ran high when Ms Gugu Duda, the now-suspended chief financial officer of the national broadcaster, interrupted yesterday’s proceedings to accuse board members of poor governance practices and failure to comply with legislation.

Her outburst was quashed by SCOPA Chairperson, Themba Godi, who stated she first had to make written representations on the matter to the committee.

Ms Duda was suspended after two reports by an external forensic auditor were compiled. Internal charges against her are still pending.

Besides Ms Duda’s pronouncements, yesterday’s meeting was a public display of the intense dysfunction within the SABC and its board. Shameless admissions by various SABC board members and officials revealed that:

• the board’s internal audit committee had not been formed;
• Communications Minister Dina Pule had refused to endorse the appointment of the internal audit committee due to the fact that the committee was being led by someone who did not have the required qualifications; and
• there is a dire lack of internal control by SABC board members and executive management.

In addition, Minister Pule failed to appear before the committee and Mr Godi stated that he had received her apology shortly before the meeting. Her deputy was also not present.

The DA will be keeping a very close watch as to when the Committee will receive submissions from dissenting SABC board members and I will be following up on these and other matters with Chairperson Godi.

It is high time that the SABC gets its act together. This process can only begin once its board and management can properly account for the mess it’s in by adhering to basic financial and audit procedures.