Johannesburg -
The newly-appointed SABC board should prioritise resolving outstanding payments to television workers and production houses, the Television Industry Emergency Coalition (TVIEC) said on Friday.
"We call upon the new board and the group CEO to act swiftly in resolving the matter of outstanding debt to our sector.
"There remains millions of rands in unpaid debt to the independent production sector and this amount is growing daily due to repeat broadcasts that are not being paid to actors, writers and production companies," it said in a statement.
The coalition also called on the new board, which was announced by President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday, to resolve "the ongoing operational crisis at the SABC".
"This must be a priority on their incoming board's agenda, together with resolving the ongoing operational crisis at the SABC," it said.
By doing this, the board will be making amends to the interim board's failure to fulfil promises it made to the TVIEC regarding the payment issue.
"We are very disappointed that the SABC interim board has not kept its word to our sector in resolving the crisis around non-payment to producers and artists.
"The interim board and management have abused the goodwill of the independent production sector and people now demand payment to be made swiftly and without further delays," it said.
The 12 non-executive members as recommended by the National Assembly are: Cedric Sabelo Gina, Pippa Green, Peter John Harris, Barbara Masekela, Magathe Mello, Nkotomane Motsepe, Ben Ngubane, David Niddrie, Clare O'Neil, Felleng Sekha, Suzanne Vos and Desmond Golding.
Zuma designated Ngubane as chairperson and Sekha as deputy chairperson of the board.
The coalition also took a swipe at the interim board for "undermining" the incoming board with its decision to appoint new group CEO Solly Mokoetle.
"We question why the interim board made this sudden and unexpected announcement and did not defer the appointment to the incoming permanent board given that they are weeks away from taking the helm of the SABC," it said.
The coalition said, however, it welcomed Mokoetle's appointment and looked forward to working with him in "turning the SABC around into a profitable institution that is answerable to the South African public".
The unions affected by the crisis at the SABC, the Creative Workers Union of SA, Independent Producers Association and the SA Screen Federation, will be meeting on February 3 and 4 to review issues like financial agreements between broadcasters, producers and artists.
- Sapa