Not even Hlaudi can survive this one

It must be said at the outset that the ad hoc parliamentary committee examining the efficacy of the SABC board has done a thorough job in interrogating a matter many believe was patently obvious long before a panel was put together.

But the burning question left hanging over the seemingly Teflon-coated figure of Hlaudi Motsoeneng is just what the future holds for the man whom many of the witnesses who appeared before the committee fingered as the architect of much of the chaotic dysfunctionality at the public broadcaster since 2009.

This was when he emerged from the obscurity of a role as a producer at Lesedi FM to become the éminence gris at the SABC, with enormous political clout. History would show that in 2014, then public protector Thuli Madonsela released a report entitled “When governance and ethics fail”, calling for the SABC board to take disciplinary action against Motsoeneng for dishonesty and the misrepresentation of his qualifications, abuse of power and improper conduct in the appointments and salary increments of several employees.

ALSO READ: South Africans need to start talking and stop the torching

The same year, the DA brought an interim application before the Western Cape High Court calling for Motsoeneng’s suspension, pending a disciplinary hearing. Motsoeneng appealed the decision, but was overruled by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

In 2015, Motsoeneng was criticised for granting himself a salary increase from R2.8 million to R3.7 million, despite a reported annual loss of R395 million at the SABC. But as parliamentary committee chairperson Vincent Smith observed, the inquiry was limited in its mandate to examine the fitness of the board to hold office – and Motsoeneng was not a board member, even though some of his actions were contrary to that fact.

Motsoeneng is a survivor, but even he is unlikely to endure this time.