MWASA pulls out of SABC turnaround strategy consultations

MWASA general secretary Tuwani Gumani accuses the SABC management of deliberately undermining its CCMA agreement signed on 14 December 2010. The CCMA agreement requires that the turnaround strategy should be devised with the help of labour.

The union is set to meet today, Friday, 5 February 2011, to discuss the possibility of an industrial action based on the CCMA agreement.

Abject failure

Gumani said another reason for quitting the negotiation table is the abject failure to meet volunteered commitment by the SABC, through acting CEO Robin Nicholson, since 18 January 2011 to provide minutes of meetings, as well as requested and promised information for the purposes of consultations.

Other reasons, the union added, include the deliberate non-compliance with SABC-sponsored timelines - sporadic and short-notice meetings where SABC management without exception have failed to attend or pop in late.

Besides, the union accuses the SABC of circumventing the agreed-upon consulting structures of MWASA, as well as the sustained advertisement of vacancies and filling of posts despite MWASA's call for a moratorium on all processes that may have any impact on the consultation process.

"Short-term programme"

"We are also concerned that the turnaround strategy is in the strictest of terms a short-term programme to implement ephemeral cosmetic solutions to the endemic systemic challenges that have been incubated over a sustained period by successive administrations at ministerial, board and executive levels."

The cash-strapped public broadcaster got a R1 billion bailout from the state in 2009, and the rest of the money (R473 million) will only be released on condition that Auckland Park draws up a comprehensive turnaround strategy.

The SABC, which deeply regrets MWASA's walk out, said it will host a workshop with the abovementioned unions, 17-18 February 2011, to further discuss a framework for engagement.

SABC vs ANCYL

Meanwhile, the SABC said this week that it was "disturbed" by the wrong impression created by the ANC Youth League statement that its coverage of the situation in Egypt was not fair, balanced and effective.

"As one of the biggest broadcasters in the African continent, the SABC carries a responsibility to tell African stories and political developments in a fair and balance manner," ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said.

Shivambu called on the SABC to send reporters to Egypt and Sudan to ensure that South Africans are not misled by Western broadcasters and news agencies.

'Opens space for bias'

"The SABC's failure to do so opens space for biased and politically motivated broadcasters to infuse their perspectives and political agendas of their countries in the coverage of political development in Egypt and other countries in the African continent."

This kind of statement is unfortunate as it is made without getting all the facts, SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said.

"The SABC, like any other newsgathering organisation, has agencies that they use all over the world to provide footage. All the scripts for the stories are done by our able reporters here and not anywhere else.

"For further information, it must be noted that the SABC has a correspondent in Egypt who always do live crossings for the radio on the phone. To suggest that we take other broadcaster's angles is not only unfair but an insult to the news gathering ability and editorial independence of the SABC."