DA calls for immediate SABC board appointment
The interim SABC board's term expired on Tuesday.
However, President Jacob Zuma is still considering the 12 names Parliament recommended for the positions.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is now urging the president to immediately appoint the new permanent board in a bid to get the public broadcaster back on track.
DA shadow minister of communications Phumzile van Damme says the SABC's annual report paints a grim picture.
"The work of the SABC permanent board is especially important following yesterday's tabling of the public broadcaster's annual financial report for the 2016/17 financial year, in Parliament. The report paints a grim picture about the state of the SABC's financial affairs."
The SABC posted a R977m loss after tax for the 2016/17 financial year, its annual report revealed.
Van Damme says: "It is of absolute importance that the SABC and communications minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, engage Parliament on how they plan on ensuring that the SABC's finances recover. In light of National Treasury's proposed R3 billion bailout for the SABC, civil society and Parliament deserve to know the full scope of the SABC's financial affairs and how this proposed bailout will turn things around for the embattled public broadcaster."
She says it's now up to the new board to restore the public's faith in the public broadcaster.
"President Zuma must appoint the board immediately to ensure that they get to work on restoring the SABC back to the world-class broadcaster it once was."