Parliament's communications portfolio committee on Thursday adopted a report recommending eight candidates to fill the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), but not without objections from opposition parties.

The list of candidates preferred by the African National Congress (ANC), who holds the majority in the committee, and which was eventually pushed through were Motshedi Lekalakala, Mamoduphi Mohlala-Mulaudzi, Bernedette Muthien, Saths Cooper, David Maimela, Jasmina Patel, Mary Papayya, and Marcia Socikwa. 

"We tried by all means to persuade them and they are not moved and we are also not moved," said ANC MP Moses Tseli, referring to the lack of consensus reached with MPs from the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

The two opposition parties had fiercely objected to the inclusion of Cooper, citing a report of the higher education department that he was manipulative and had surrounded himself with acolytes while vice-chancellor of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

The parties also had issues with David Maimela, who the EFF's Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said was openly campaigning for the ANC ahead of the elections and made him unsuitable as he was "openly politically partisan". 

The names will be sent to the National Assembly for approval next week.