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Maguvhe should dismount 'dead horse' SABC - Sanco

Cape Town – The South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) says the SABC's last remaining board member Professor Mbulaheni Maguvhe should dismount the "dead horse" that is the public broadcaster.

Sanco on Saturday applauded the dismissal of Maguvhe's application to halt an inquiry into the board's fitness to hold office delivered in the Western Cape High Court on Friday.

Judge Siraj Desai dismissed the application with costs, saying he would give his reasons at a later stage.

Sanco spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu said Maguvhe "must be reminded of the tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, which says that when you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount".

"It is high time that individuals who are pursuing court actions on behalf of the public broadcaster and without the mandate of a well constituted and functional board fund their futile and ambitious endeavours out of their own pockets and not squander taxpayers' monies."

Mahlangu said that undermining any committee of Parliament was tantamount to subverting the institution.

He hoped the process to expedite the dissolution of the defunct board would begin promptly.

"The public broadcaster's current leadership crisis and impasse is unprecedented and warrants decisive action to protect the image and integrity of the SABC as a global as well as continental player and a national asset."

'Real work' to begin

Maguvhe took the committee to court on Friday alleging "bias and prejudice" towards him from opposition MPs on the ad hoc committee looking into the board.

Committee chairperson Vincent Smith said he felt vindicated following the court's ruling.

"I know that Parliament and the ad hoc committee always acted within the law and the judgment confirmed that, so I'm glad this part of it is over," he told News24 after the ruling.

Smith did not want to comment on Maguvhe or the SABC's arguments in court, and is looking forward to getting down to "the real work".

He said the committee would get started as soon as possible, which could be as early as Wednesday, depending on availability of witnesses.

The DA also welcomed Desai's ruling on Friday, saying the interdict was a last-ditch attempt by one man seeking to cling to power for his own sake.

"This is a victory for parliamentary accountability and an important step towards restoring Parliament's role as the constitutionally established body to scrutinise and oversee the actions of the executive," it said in a statement.

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