The new SABC board has been hit by its first resignation‚ just one month after it was appointed.

In a letter to President Jacob Zuma‚ which was shared with MPs‚ board member Rachel Kalidass requested that she be released from her fiduciary duties as a board member with immediate effect.

At the core of her resignation is the appointment process for the positions of group CEO and chief operating officer‚ she said.

Kalidass said the preferred candidates were interviewed for the positions on 31 October. She said she registered concerns about the first choice for the CEO position‚ who had allegations of fraud and corruption hanging over his head‚ and a strong conflict of interest.

Kalidass said in her resignation that she approached ANC MP Mondli Gungubele with her concerns on November 4‚ and on November 6 was taken to task by board members who accused her of breaching confidentiality.

She states that the "current environment is not conducive to me fulfilling my full term".

Kalidass does not name the candidate for CEO‚ but Democratic Alliance MP Phumzile van Damme names him in a statement as Alan Mukoki.

She said that while he was "eminently qualified" his history in the public sector made him "wholly unsuitable" for the post.

Van Damme said Mukoki was accused of diverting R2 billion meant for emerging farmers without board approval when he was CEO of the Land Bank in 2007.

Mukoki said in a statement of his own that it would be "inappropriate to respond to questions about another organisation when I work elsewhere."

He said he had not been offered the SABC post.

On the Land Bank issue‚ he said claims that he had diverted funds were "patently untrue" and said the Deloitte report on which the claims were based was found to be "flawed and irregularly produced." It had been rescinded by Cabinet in 2007‚ he said.

-TimesLIVE

Source: TMG Digital.