MPs get tough with SABC board chairman

Mbulaheni Maguvhe, who is scheduled to testify on Thursday afternoon, led a walkout on the first day of the inquiry on Wednesday morning after the committee rejected several attempts by him to suspend the inquiry.

He had first tried to stop proceedings by informing MPs he had lodged an appeal of a high court ruling last week, in which he was seeking to have the inquiry interdicted from going ahead. The high court dismissed his application.

The chairman then told MPs that he wanted all witness statements and documents before the committee translated into braille before the inquiry started - something MPs rejected on the basis that he had already been provided with all the documents in "word format" so that it could be translated.

MPs said Maguvhe had also not indicated before-hand that he needed witness statements to be translated, despite the committee having written to him on November 17, informing him of the inquiry and its willingness to provide "interpretation services".

"Parliament will summons him [Maguvhe] if needs be. We have the right to summons him," said Vincent Smith, the chair of the ad hoc parliamentary committee conducting the inquiry said in a media briefing following the first day of the inquiry.

"We dispute the fact that we violated his rights, but I don't think its his call whether he'll appear here or not."

Maguvhe, during a media briefing off the parliamentary premises following his walkout, said he felt "bullied, belittled and disrespected" after he heard utterances by members of the ad hoc committee about stalling tactics, insisting he would not appear before the inquiry.

"The process is not fair," said Maguvhe.

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.

Maguvhe 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."

MPs "rejected with contempt" Maguvhe's claims, repeating that he was trying to stonewall the committee's inquiry.

"The letter was written to him to say he will be given all his rights in these proceedings. He decided to walk out. He made that decision," said Economic Freedom Fighters MP Fana Mokoena.

"It was based on nothing we had said to him or did him, or plundering of his rights."

Mokoena appealed to Maguvhe "not to be used by certain people".

African News Congress MP Makhosi Khoza said questions about the legitimacy of the committee were indicative of people who did not understand the principles of democracy and accountability.

"I think this is a sad day for South Africa that the highest institution in this land is being questioned when it is performing its oversight..over a public enterprise and to me this is not just questioning the legitimacy of this committee, it is actually questioning the legitimacy of the institution [of Parliament] itself," said Khoza.

"Now, I don't understand how we are in contempt of those at SABC because they are protecting whatever interest, we don't know. The results of this inquiry will speak for itself."

While politicians from different parties were often at odds at Parliament, Democratic Alliance MP Phumzile van Damme said she was proud of the unity displayed by MPs in the light of the gravity of the situation at the cash-strapped, leaderless public broadcaster.

"We stood our ground. We not only protected the SABC ,but the institution of Parliament."

MPs have also decided to instruct their legal team to ensure a summons issued to Maguvhe on November 17 to hand over all documents it requested, including those related to the appointment of SABC executive for corporate affair, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and the controversial deal to sign over use of certain of the SABC archives to MultiChoice, was complied with.

The SABC had as of Wednesday not complied with the summons fully. Ten of the 15 requested documents had not been handed to the committee, with the broadcaster citing they were either "commercially sensitive", or in the case of Motsoeneng's appointment, were no longer in the SABC's possession.

ANC MP Patrick Chauke was in favour of taking a hardline approach.

"It's a process of sending the sheriff [of the court] with police to fetch those documents," said Chauke.

The parliamentary inquiry would continue on Thursday with the testimony of two former board members, with Maguvhe scheduled to appear at 4pm.

Smith said no further delays would be tolerated.

"We've never seen such open defiance. That is why the time has come…that at some point we have to say so far and no further… and this committee has started that process," he said.