Sentech kicked out of meeting

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications yesterday threw the board of the state's troubled broadcast signal distributor out of a committee meeting.

This happened after Sentech's board of directors handed the committee a report just before the meeting started.

ANC MP Sikhumbuzo Kholwane told the board this was "disrespect of the highest order" because it did not allow the MPs any time to study the document before the meeting.

Sentech, the state owned company that distributes broadcast signals, is under the control of the Communications Department headed by Minister Siphiwe Nyanda.

In April, Nyanda appointed a new board to head Sentech after its acting CEO Beverley Ngwenya and chief financial officer Mohammed Cassim resigned in connection with "financial irregularities".

But since then, Sentech has been dogged by controversy. City Press newspaper alleged last month that one of the new board members appointed by Nyanda - Mesuli Dhlamini - had been paid a "monthly consulting fee of R150000" since he joined the board in April.

The paper also alleged that Dhlamini had hired Ntumba Incorporated to audit Sentech's books. Ntumba allegedly authorised six payments from Sentech of more than R1million to two of their auditors and Dhlamini.

Ntumba Incorporated is also the company that audits the books of Nyanda's private firm - Abalozi Security Risk Advisory Services.

The chairperson of Sentech's board, Quraysh Patel, yesterday told Sowetan that he could not confirm that the board was investigating its member who allegedly received the money. "I can imagine it would have come up in the meeting (which was cancelled by Parliament)."

Meanwhile, Sentech's strategic plan for 2010 and 2011, which was dished out at the beginning of the aborted meeting, admitted that most of its departments expose the company to "extreme risk".

The report stated that community radio stations and government departments owe Sentech over R27million.