As the SABC interim board prepares to take office, it has emerged that board members who were booted out want to be paid monthly retainers after attending the hearing in parliament that resulted in the board being dissolved.

Board members get about R8 000 a month and R5 000 a meeting.

Weekend Argus has learnt that some former board members who attended the hearing in Parliament last month have asked company secretary Thelma Melk to ensure that they get paid their retainer and the fee for attending the meeting, as it is the norm for them to be remunerated each time they met on SABC business.

Former board chairperson Kanyi Mkonza gets a retainer of R25 000 and R5 000 a meeting.

But Melk has refused to pay until the former board members have returned SABC property, including DStv decoders, giant flat-screen TVs, home theatre systems and laptops, which are loaned to all board members.

The board was formally dissolved on Friday, paving the way for the installation of an interim board, led by MTN executive Irene Charnley, with Unisa academic Phillip Mtimkulu as her deputy.

On Friday, the SABC's management, some of whom have welcomed the latest probe by the auditor-general, were locked in negotiations with unions in a bid to avert a strike. Just over half the SABC workforce, about 1 500 employees, was expected to go on strike on Monday, the unions said.

As the discussions broke down, it emerged that the unions had allegedly sent correspondence to Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda and Ismail Vadi, chairman of the ANC's parliamentary portfolio committee, saying they had settled on a 8.5 percent increase and calling on them to act against Phumelele Ntombela-Nzimande, the chief people officer, who was accused by unions of "buying shirts for the ANC".

However, it emerged that the T-shirts were not for the ANC, but for the ruling party's Polokwane conference - meant to identify the large SABC contingent covering the event for the broadcaster.