Cape Town - South Africans have until the end of this month to nominate members to serve on the new South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) board.
According to the Portfolio Committee on Communications, the 12 non-executive board members must be qualified and have experience and expertise in the fields of broadcasting policy and technology, broadcasting regulation, media law, business practice and finance, journalism, entertainment and education as well as labour.
"They must also be committed to fairness, freedom of expression, the right of the public to be informed as well as openness and accountability. Board members must represent a broad cross-section of the population of the Republic of South Africa," said the Chairman of the Portfolio Committee Ismail Vadi.
The Portfolio Committee embarked on the process of searching for new board members after the resolution to dissolve of the previous board was approved adopted by the National Assembly and subsequently signed by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe last week.
The resolution followed an inquiry into the ailing board by the Portfolio Committee on Communications. The broadcaster recorded a financial loss of R839 million for the last financial year as a result of declining revenue and unrestrained over-expenditure.
A five-member interim board was appointed on Tuesday.
It comprises of former MTN executive Irene Charnley, advocate Leslie Sedibe, University of South Africa academic Phillip Mtimkulu, media expert Libby Lloyd and former communications committee member Suzanne Vos.
Once the nominations close on 31July candidates will be shortlisted and interviews conducted. The preferred candidates will then be presented to the National Assembly for recommendation to the President.
Meanwhile, striking SABC staff on Wednesday staged lunch time pickets at the SABC head office in Auckland Park, Johannesburg as well as at regional offices. They are demanding a 12.2 percent wage increase.
The protest was staged by members of the Communications Workers Union, the Media Workers Association of South Africa (Mwasa) and it was supported by the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers Union.
According to SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago operations at the broadcaster were not affected but the broadcaster had contingency plans in place. He said the pickets would continue on Friday.
A meeting between the unions which had been scheduled for Wednesday did not materialize because the unions had wanted to meet with senior management.
"When our negotiating team arrived with a new mandate, the unions did not want to engage. Instead they said they wanted to interact with senior management," said Mr Kganyago.
He declined to divulge any details on the new mandate as it had not yet been put to the unions.
Mwasa General Secretary Ernest Dlamini confirmed that the unions and management would meet today to discuss picketing rules.
"Today there will be no picketing. The pickets will continue tomorrow morning and afternoon," he said, adding that about 350 staff in Auckland Park participated in Wednesday's pickets.
