One might almost feel sorry for the SABC board, which faces a grilling in Parliament today to answer allegations of incompetence.
One might almost feel sorry for the SABC board, which faces a grilling in Parliament today to answer allegations of incompetence.
But these party faithful have proved themselves so inept that any sense of pity soon evaporates.
Their biggest problem is that the once monolithic ANC has fractured into so many schisms and sub-groups that the watchdogs appointed to guard its interests at our tax-funded and supposedly public broadcaster don't know which way the wind is blowing from one day to the next.
All was well in Thabo Mbeki's day when any buffoon just had to stay loyal to the president to ensure a fat pay cheque would roll in month after month.
But nowadays the attack poodles must also answer to the whims and caprices of Cosatu, the SACP, the youth league and assorted functionaries scattered from Luthuli House to Parliament.
That would take common sense, talent and strength of character no gravy-trainer appointed to the SABC board was ever expected to muster.
This farce shows again that the public broadcaster must be kept out of the clutches of political masters.
We should have learnt this lesson from what happened during apartheid. But politicians who won't learn from history just force us to relive mistakes again and again.
Time to flip the channel
One might almost feel sorry for the SABC board, which faces a grilling in Parliament today to answer allegations of incompetence.
One might almost feel sorry for the SABC board, which faces a grilling in Parliament today to answer allegations of incompetence.
But these party faithful have proved themselves so inept that any sense of pity soon evaporates.
Their biggest problem is that the once monolithic ANC has fractured into so many schisms and sub-groups that the watchdogs appointed to guard its interests at our tax-funded and supposedly public broadcaster don't know which way the wind is blowing from one day to the next.
All was well in Thabo Mbeki's day when any buffoon just had to stay loyal to the president to ensure a fat pay cheque would roll in month after month.
But nowadays the attack poodles must also answer to the whims and caprices of Cosatu, the SACP, the youth league and assorted functionaries scattered from Luthuli House to Parliament.
That would take common sense, talent and strength of character no gravy-trainer appointed to the SABC board was ever expected to muster.
This farce shows again that the public broadcaster must be kept out of the clutches of political masters.
We should have learnt this lesson from what happened during apartheid. But politicians who won't learn from history just force us to relive mistakes again and again.