Johannesburg — A SUBMISSION to Parliament that highlights possible instances of corruption and wasteful expenditure by SABC managers might finally result in a proper investigation of the public broadcaster.

Former SABC chairwoman Kanyi Mkonza made an explosive submission to the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications last week, alleging that SABC senior managers and executives were corrupt and opportunistic.

Yesterday Mkonza said several issues she raised in her submission were under investigation by the SABC, while others -- such as an R18m petrol bill apparently run up by senior managers -- had only come to light a month ago.

Musa Zondi, the Inkatha Freedom Party's member of the portfolio committee, said he was calling for a full judicial commission of inquiry to look into the board and management, as a result of Mkonza's submission.

The Save Our SABC civil society coalition wants a forensic audit of the SABC to be conducted once an interim board is in place.

Parliament is likely to pass a resolution on Wednesday approving the dissolution of the SABC board, now that only one member, Alison Gilwald, has not resigned. The next step would be to appoint an interim board to take charge of the SABC until a new board is appointed.

Mkonza's submission does not provide names, but alleges that senior managers and executives have business interests in the areas they are responsible for, such as music, sport and content enterprises.

She quotes a joint submission by the SABC's three unions -- the Broadcast, Electronic Media and Allied Workers' Union (Bemawu), the Communication Workers' Union and the Media Workers' Association of SA -- which claims senior managers ran up an R18m petrol bill.

She said these were just some instances of the "looting" of the SABC. Pressure on the board to resign, she said , came in part from individuals who did not want acts of corruption by management to be exposed.

Hannes du Buisson, president of Bemawu, said the unions had raised these issues but no action was taken. "I think it's opportunistic for her (Mkonza) to say she didn't know about this. We don't understand why she didn't come to us before if she had the same concerns. She should have taken action against those people and we would have supported her."

Bemawu raised these concerns three years ago, before the board was appointed, but so far no one had been prepared to act, said Du Buisson.

" People are scared," he said, claiming staffers who tipped off the unions about wrongdoing at the SABC were risking their employment .

Mkonza said her allegations were rooted in fact and many were already under investigation. She said although her submission referred to long- standing issues which had been raised by the unions, the board had not had an opportunity to discuss this with the parliamentary portfolio committee .

In her submission, Mkonza said the board was unable to act on these allegations because management was perceived to have political and parliamentary protection, there was political pressure on the board to resign and the SABC's management had a "litigious nature". With Sapa