The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, together with the Deputy Minister Pinky Kekana, and other senior officials of the Department called an urgent meeting with the board of the SABC last night, Tuesday, 17 November 2020.
The purpose of the meeting was for the board and executive management of the SABC to account to the Minister on the merits of continuing with the retrenchment process currently under way at the SABC, in light of disturbing developments at the public broadcaster on Tuesday.
The Minister took the opportunity to implore the SABC board to consider all possible options, with an aim to preserve jobs. This meeting also gave the Minister an opportunity to hear from all board members on the proposed retrenchments at the SABC, and to also consider the alternative voices of board members on the matter.
The SABC will appear before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications this morning to provide an account of the retrenchment process, and any contingencies they have in place to mitigate the current strife with employees and unions.
The Minister will also provide remarks on the matter for considerations by the Portfolio Committee and recommend a way forward.
“I would like to call on the employees of the public broadcaster to exercise restraint and patience during this period of intervention by the Department and Parliament,” said Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams.