Business Report
*SABC board furore over Molefe appointment* *Political Bureau, Business Report, Johannesburg, 21 May 2010*SABC board members are expected to meet urgently to discuss the appointment of Phil Moelefe as head of news - a move announced on Thursday but which took board members completely by surprise.
Board members - including deputy chairwoman Felleng Sekha - told Independent Newspapers that it was the board's responsibility to fill the position, which Molefe has held in an acting capacity since the departure of Snuki Zikalala.
Sekha, who heads the board's news committee, said a decision had yet to be taken.
She was speaking after SABC group chief executive Solly Mokoetle announced Molefe's appointment, saying he and the board were "happy" the matter had been finalised, as the post was key and needed to be filled to "stabilise the corporation".
But while Mokoetle insisted Moelfe's appointment would "go a long way in moving the news and current affairs division forward", it emerged that the new head of news may be facing a newsroom revolt.
Concerned news staffers have banded together in a bid to get critical issues addressed, including indecisive leadership and unilateral decisions not to cover certain stories.
*Minutes *Minutes of a meeting leaked to Independent Newspapers indicate deep unhappiness with insufficient or broken equipment and the poor quality of the resulting product.
The minutes note that morale is low because of a number of unresolved problems.
Staff members complained that when President Jacob Zuma was addressing the nation after the death of rightwing leader Eugene TerreBlanche, last month, "the camera work shoddy and embarrassing."
When Bafana Bafana travelled to Brazil, two months ago, for its camp in preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup soccer tournament not a single travelled with the team to cover the camp, reporters state.
"Sometimes there is poor planning - facts of story not properly established or verified," the minutes note.
"Finance should not dictate editorial (decisions). We need stringer editorial judgment that allows us as a unit to own the stories," staff complained.
The minutes also noted that staff lacked emergency kit to respond to breaking stories, whether local or international, and were hamstrung by bureaucracy. They also wanted their independence protected.
"There has been some instances where stories are not covered. Stories withdrawn and no editorial explanations given. Journalists need to be protected from outsiders who want to influence the way stories are told," the noted.
*Not transparent*The appointment of new presenters and executive producers at SAfm was also criticised as not having been transparent.
Another board member said an urgent meeting would be requested over Molefe's appointment. Although a special panel was tasked with finding a suitable candidate for the position, it was due to meet again on June 3 and no decision had yet been taken.
Questions are now being asked why board chairman, Dr Ben Ngubane, acted unilaterally.
Attempts to reach Mokoetle, Ngubane and SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago for comment were unsuccessful.
*From: http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=5479946 <http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=5479946>*
-- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
<<image/jpeg>>
