Cape Town – South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board chairman Mbulaheni Maguvhe said on Wednesday that he felt bullied, belittled and disrespected by Parliament's ad hoc committee set up to probe the affairs of the public broadcaster.
Speaking at a hastily convened press conference at the African Pride Hotel in the Cape Town CBD shortly after he, his legal team and SABC executives walked out of the official start of the inquiry by Parliament's ad hoc committee, Maguvhe hit back at accusations that he was intent on stalling the inquiry, instead saying that he refused to be bullied and belittled by the committee.
"The process is not fair," said Maguvhe. He said he felt "bullied, belittled and disrespected" after he heard utterances by members of the ad hoc committee about stalling tactics.
Maguvhe, who is blind, explained that one standard page of a document could go up to two and a half pages if translated into braille. "Should I have to carry all those copies? How do I prepare myself without those statements?" he asked. The embattled SABC board chairman said the committee had offered him the services of a scribe instead of translating documents into braille.
"How would the scribe know what would be sensible to me? Or would they just write everything down?" he asked. "I have the right to legal representation and to any relevant information that I might need. I'm not happy with the way things are unfolding and the process is not fair. I am not stalling the inquiry by making these requests."
The SABC's group executive of corporate affairs, Hlaudi Motsoeneng said it had been requested to attend proceedings so as to explain what has been going on at the SABC.
"We respect the ad hoc committee and will cooperate with them but they also need to be careful. They should not fall into a trap of being used by other people," said Motsoeneng. He explained that the SABC was not afraid to deal with issues, but simply pleaded for a fair process.
However, the stance by Maguvhe did not go down well with the office of African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Jackson Mthembu who labelled the walkout "disgusting" and "disrespectful".
Mthembu's office was reacting to the walkout by Maguvhe and SABC executives on Wednesday morning which followed a refusal by the parliamentary ad hoc committee conducting the inquiry to delay the probe any further.
This followed after Maghuve launched an appeal against the ruling by the Western Cape High Court on Friday which dismissed his application for an interdict to halt the inquiry.
"The walkout and the irrational request by Maguvhe and other SABC representatives today are the latest in a series of stalling tricks aimed at frustrating the work of the ad hoc committee," a statement from Mthembu said.
"The committee is already behind schedule due to Maguvhe’s court interdict, which was rejected by the Western Cape High Court on Friday. Late yesterday afternoon, on the eve today's meeting, Maguvhe launched an urgent appeal with the hope of interdicting the probe from going ahead."
Mthembu also criticised the refusal of the broadcaster to hand over documents relevant to the probe, including those involving the appointment of Motsoengeng, and those relating to the controversial multi-million rand deal giving pay-TV operator MultiChoice access to the SABC's archives.
"Today's [Wednesday's] walkout, including the refusal to provide Parliament with documents, was designed to disrupt the work of Parliament and show contempt for Parliament's constitutional powers," he said.
"The utter disrespect that the SABC chairman and his lackeys continue to demonstrate against Parliament, including the very institution they lead, represents a serious attack against these public institutions and the people of South Africa." Mthembu wants Parliament to take action to "nip this abhorrent conduct in the bud".
He warned that in terms of a provision in the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, people may not create disturbances while a committee of the legislature is meeting.
"Depending on the gravity of the conduct, such disruptions are punishable by a fine or an imprisonment for up to three years," Mthembu's office cautioned. "The act also prescribes a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months against a witness who is before a committee of Parliament who refuses to 'produce any document in his or her possession or custody or under his or her control which he or she has been required to produce'."