SABC’s unlawful appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng 

12 December 2016

The governance decay that has been destroying the SABC with unqualified support from uncritical lackeys and patronage networks has been exposed again! The appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as SABC group executive of corporate affairs has been declared unlawful and irrational by the Western Cape High Court on Monday 12 December. Motsoeneng was appointed to this position after he was removed from that of SABC group chief operations officer. He was appointed illegally in that position too. 

Whilst in that illegal capacity, Motsoeneng signed a contract conveying strategic control, to Naspers’ MultiChoice, of public broadcasting affairs and assets such as archives, related programming and naming rights affecting among others the SABC’s 24-hour news channel, the entertainment channel SABC Encore and consequently free to air channels SABC 1, SABC 2 and SABC 3. The collusive deal effectively cemented MultiChoice’s monopoly domination in terms of set-top-box control and pay TV market. 

Poor people who do not have money to buy set-top-boxes and pay sky-high monthly fees imposed by MultiChoice cannot access Premier Soccer League matches mostly taking place during the week, because of the collusive dealings between the SABC and MultiChoice.  The SABC has to beg back broadcast of some of the matches it has conveyed to Naspers via its subsidiary MultiChoice. Naspers is a colonial and apartheid era monopoly capital. It continues to dominate the communication and media space in South Africa, among others because of such decisions, yet Motsoeneng’s uncritical backers shamelessly say he is a transformation guru. 

While respecting the right to appeal, the SACP is calling on the SABC to abide by the law and to refrain from wasting public resources. The SACP is also calling on Parliament to extend its current inquiry into the fitness to hold office of the board that is no more to cover the structural factors and driving forces responsible for the decay and collapse of governance at the SABC. Private interests, such as MultiChoice, that have been pursuing wealth accumulation from the decay and collapse of governance at the SABC must also be held accountable. This includes an investigation into the Guptas’ TNA Business Breakfast and its funding. All those who presided over the SABC’s governance decay must be held accountable!

Issued by Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo, National Spokesperson, SACP, 12 December 2016