Dali Mpofu started off very well at the SABC. With his vision entitled 'Public Broadcasting for Total Citizen Empowerment', he attempted to tackle the overly commercial nature of SABC services, which was a much needed intervention, and a decisive shift from the overly commercial approach of his predecessor, Peter Matlare. It also held out hope that there would be a sea change in leadership at the SABC. He also promised to root out many of the ailments plaguing the organisation.

However, this promising start was quickly undone as Mpofu's good intentions founded on the rocks of the SABC's notoriously vituperous internal politics. Repeated problems with editorial decision making have gone unaddressed, and these problems have mounted during Mpofu's term of office. These included the non-screening of an Askilhulume interview with Jacob Zuma, the pulling of a song supporting Zuma from the playlist and the non-screening of a documentary on President Mbeki. These incidents were then followed by the blacklisting controversy and the withdrawal of two more controversial dramas.

All these incidents pointed to editorial timidity on the part of the SABC, particularly with respect to the most controversial political issues of the day, and also pointed to a growing climate of self-censorship. Mpofu has failed to address this growing problem.

The low point of his two year term involved his failure to act decisively against MD of News, Snuki Zikalala, in the wake of the Commission's report, and his giving a verbal warning to the whistleblower in the incident, John Perlman.

Journalism is a creative profession, particularly in the context of a public broadcaster. Demoralisation will inevitably kill the creative spirit, and creates an internal culture where independent-mindedness is punished and mediocrity thrives. The SABC has also fuelled an internal disciplinary culture, where ordinary employees are disciplined for the slightest misdomenour, while members of the top leadership get away with murder.

However, not all these problems can be attributed to Mpofu alone. Had he been supported by a better Board, he could have done much more to address the editorial problems in the newsroom, and to a certain extent, the lack of an independently minded Board has meant that he has been set up for failure.

The Board has exercised weak leadership in relation to a number of critical issues, and has also failed to convince the public that it is indeed comprised of people who are committed to fairness, freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed, as the Broadcasting Act requires. These values need to be placed at the forefront of the new appointment process, and candidates should be required to demonstrate their track record.

A number of existing Board members have not inspired confidence in their committment to independent journalism; so it is hardly suprising that the SABC has failed to promote independent journalism consistently; after all, a fish rots from the head.

The Board mishandled the Commission of Enquiry into allegations of blacklisting, leaving Mpofu twisting in the wind about making good on his assurance that 'heads would roll' if the allegations proved to have foundation. The fact that the Board expressed full confidence in Snuki Zikalala after the Commission's damning findings, strongly suggested that the Board did not support his attempt to tackle the problem. The Board has also failed to address its lack of structural independence from the Minister of Communications, which may well lead to governance crises in future.