Given the political meddling and the Hlaudi Motsoeneng era, one can be forgiven for thinking that the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is just another basket case of a failed state-owned enterprise (SOE). But it’s time to think again. The SABC of today, although still far from showroom condition, might very well be on its way there, largely because of one fundamental activity — a board that is intolerant of the destructive forces of political meddling. SOEs are much like any business and they need to be run efficiently, with the best people and systems, if they are to succeed. More often than not the worst people to give advice, interfere or make appointments are Cabinet ministers. More so when the focus of cadre-deployment practices have converted many SOEs into de facto employment agencies, with managers instructed to employ relatives and friends of the politically connected.