Radio is now mine, Hlaudi tells SABC staff

7 October 2016

Johannesburg - Embattled SABC executive for corporate affairs and former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng has told staffers at a meeting that he is now in charge of the radio division of the public broadcaster.

"Radio is now mine," Motsoeneng said to staffers at Friday's meeting, two inside sources told News24.

Motsoeneng invited all radio staff to the meeting where he announced that leadership in the radio division had been reshuffled due to Leslie Ntloko's departure. Ntloko was the group executive of radio, but resigned in September.

"All radio people now report to me from today," he apparently said.

He was joined in the meeting by acting SABC chief executive officer James Aguma.

Some of the plans he shared with employees at the meeting included that bad programmes, and those that failed to generate revenue, would be canned.

He announced that those who found a way to bring in revenue to the SABC would be financially rewarded.

Motsoeneng called on managers in the division to stop suspending people.

"If people are wrong they should be given a warning, not suspended," Hlaudi said, according to one of the sources.

Motsoeneng has dodged several bullets thus far. Since the Supreme Court of Appeal denied him leave to appeal a ruling on the irregularity of his appointment in September, there have been growing calls for him to be removed, along with the SABC board.

On Thursday, the ANC said Communications Minister Faith Muthambi should get rid of the board.

On Friday, the Western Cape High Court dismissed an application by the SABC to delay a court hearing challenging the disciplinary hearing that cleared Motsoeneng.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.