In this case, being No1 broadcaster does not mean it's the best

Any mention of the SABC in polite company these days is likely to give rise to weary yawns or dismissive jokes about fake qualifications. A national resource has become a laughing stock.

For some, the corporation has become an embarrassment or a nuisance that's just not worth bothering about anymore.

But it's not possible to ignore the SABC. It's an over-staffed behemoth that keeps dishing out (pretty) ordinary fare, mostly, which we're obliged to pay for. There are still good people working there, but one often has to pick through the garbage to find the odd gem.

Paying the licence fee is a chore most people perform without expecting any reward in return. And the SABC continues on its merry way, with little regard for those who pay for its upkeep. Given the proliferation of information and entertainment outlets, it's easier to forget about what the SABC is offering.

But for the majority of South Africa's population the broadcaster remains the only source of information. High levels of illiteracy and the fact that vast swathes of the country are still without electricity provide it with a ready and often eager audience. As former communications minister Pallo Jordan once put it, in the rural areas it's either radio or rumour.

The situation hasn't changed much despite technological advances. But the corporation's reach, its strength, is also its obvious weakness: it's a sitting duck for political manipulation.

Ideally the SABC should, for a country riven by divisions, be a rendezvous or marketplace of ideas. It should be - as playwright Arthur Miller once described the role of a newspaper - the nation talking to itself. It is the only organisation with the resources to provide such a national platform - exposing people to varied perspectives.

Instead, it has become a discordant orchestra conducted by an ignoramus.

The corporation, like other state facilities, has been deployed - a word that has assumed a particular resonance in ANC parlance - in the service of one man.

It's quite revealing that President Jacob Zuma should be affectionately known by those close to him as No1. Nobody is left in any doubt about the fact that he is the priority. It's not about the party or even the country; it is he who shall be served. And the SABC is required to do its bit.

Legend has it that in years gone by a special phone was set aside at the SABC for PW Botha to call whenever he felt like rearranging the news bulletin. Zuma doesn't have to go to such lengths. He's picked the right man for the job. Sycophants tend to be excitable characters. Always eager to please, they go beyond the call of duty. The puppet master is rarely disappointed.

But it would be wrong to blame all the troubles at the SABC on Zuma and his lickspittles. He's merely exploiting a mess that started long before he entered the Union Buildings.

Disappointment with events at the SABC mirrors the feeling of gloom that has taken hold of South Africa. In the lead-up to the 1994 polls, it was felt that free and fair elections were impossible unless the broadcaster was transformed into a credible source that could be trusted by all parties.

A campaign led by civil society ultimately resulted in a new board and new management team. An editorial and ethical code rivalling the best in the world, produced at the time, is now presumably gathering dust in the corporation's vaults.

In Zwelakhe Sisulu, the new SABC had a chief executive who understood the role and place of a public broadcaster in a democracy. And he attracted some of the country's best journalists to work for him. Sisulu, an accomplished journalist with a political pedigree, saw his role not so much as micro-managing the corporation but primarily as shielding its employees from political interference. And the place sizzled with excitement.

Sisulu's successors have proved to be devoid of backbone. They have simply rolled over and allowed politicians to tickle their tummies. Sisulu was probably lucky in that Nelson Mandela was not the overbearing, interfering type. But Mandela's successors showed no such compunction. Jordan, for instance, was removed from office for refusing to use the corporation as a political tool.

But under Zuma, the SABC has reached a new low. It has been trashed - the interference blatant and shameless. The less said about some of the people in charge the better.

People who lie about themselves should not be trusted with any responsibility.

There is unfortunately no light at the end of the tunnel for either the SABC or those seeking an independent public broadcaster free of political control.

For a party committed to the total transformation of society (whatever that means), the SABC is an ideal mouthpiece to spread the message. But a discredited broadcaster is of little use to them either.