Hlaudi Motsoeneng thinks about heading to the Labour Court next
The next step for axed SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng in his battle to get back his job could be the Labour Court.
The broadcaster's former boss says he is considering going to the Labour Court to have his dismissal reviewed after he lost his bid to get back his job at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Thursday.
"I'm still going to have my consultation with my legal team and we'll take everything from there," he told News24.
Motsoeneng was dismissed in 2017 after he was found to have brought the public broadcaster into disrepute during a media conference he called to discuss the introduction of the infamous 90% local music quota to the broadcaster.
But he maintained that he did nothing wrong when he held the media briefing. The only reason he held it was because the ad hoc committee set up to investigate the SABC board's fitness to hold office had "insulted" him, he said.
'Best' person
Speaking after the ruling, Motsoeneng said he still believed that he was the "best" person who ran the state broadcaster.
"I believe that I have performed a wonderful job at the SABC and was actually on my way to ensure that the SABC was a well-transformed machine, but unfortunately could not fulfil those dreams."
He added that he was aware that he was blamed for the broadcaster's financial constraints: "I am also aware that people say 'Hlaudi caused financial problems at the SABC,' but they don't read the financial statements and annual reports… When you look at all the financials of the SABC's annual reports, all of them since I came, the SABC was financially healthy. So I cannot be blamed."
However, he vowed to continue to fight.
"Personally, I believe I should fight injustice because I think what is happening in this case is injustice…, because I'm not fighting for myself but for other people also. I believe that justice must be prevailed in this matter."
Although he gave credit to the commissioner for the way the CCMA matter was handled, he was "concerned about findings and [the] conclusion".
"Although I respect him as a commissioner and the processes of the CCMA, I still disagree with the ruling," he said.
"In his findings, [the commissioner] talks about the relationship of trust and I believe that trust should not be about whether people like or do not like Hlaudi," Motsoeneng added.
He said he believed the relationship should rather be about the mandate people in a company were meant to perform together.
"In any case, I worked well with people I didn't like at the SABC because professionally, you do what you are supposed to do and they do what they are supposed to do," he said.
The SABC welcomed the CCMA's decision, saying it vindicated the broadcaster's processes as "procedurally and substantively fair".
