Zuma Isn't Happy With How Parliament Handled The SABC Issue

President Jacob Zuma says Parliament could have handled the matter differently.
An SABC Satellite truck (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
An SABC Satellite truck (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

President Jacob Zuma isn't happy with the way Parliament handled the SABC inquiry.

"I thought the issue of parliamentary proceedings went very far on a company that is public and the face of the country. I think they could have handled it differently but of course, that was the best they could, it helped us understand the challenges and difficulties," he said.

Zuma was speaking on Friday during the TNA Breakfast Briefing in Cape Town to unpack his State of the Nation Address. He said despite having gone too far, the inquiry assisted the nation to get an understanding of the intricate operations of the state broadcaster and would go a long way to help avoid such things again.

"From now on we will be able to avoid what were the mistakes before. I think from the point of view of the country getting to know, Parliament managed to satisfy that kind of anxiety because people were saying what's happening in the SABC because they managed to bring in people that were there before. I would imagine that exercise will help us to correct fundamentally what was wrong with the SABC," he said.

The SABC parliamentary inquiry saw journalists lift the lid on some of their working conditions and the interferences from management. Former bosses at the broadcaster also returned to give testimony about their experiences, which did not paint a pretty picture.

Zuma said due to the nature of the work being done at the institution it's understandable why it would be at the centre of discussions but admitted that it required quality leadership.

"Because of the work being done, it has to be the centre of discussion and you need a leadership that will be sensitive to that," he said.

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