The acting SABC chief operations officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, may be facing criminal charges for fraud.
The Collective for Democracy, a fairly new coalition of five opposition parties, gathered at the Rosebank Police Station to lay criminal charges of fraudulent misrepresentation of qualifications against Motsoeneng.
This came after the Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, released damning findings against the SABC and against Motsoeneng, in particular.
According to the Collective for Democracy, all of Mandonsela’s findings are indicative of “pathological corporate governance deficiencies at the SABC, including failure by the SABC board to provide strategic oversight to the national broadcaster as provided for in the SABC Board Charter and King III report.”
Some of the findings included:
- the irregular appointment and salary progression of Motsoeneng himself (R1.5 million to R2.4 million in one year, with three salary appraisals);
- his fraudulent misrepresentation of his qualifications to the SABC when applying for employment, including stating that he had passed matric;
- his irregular increase in salaries for various staff members resulting in a salary bill in excess of R29 million, amounting to financial mismanagement and accordingly improper conduct and maladministration.
A statement released by the coalition called for the suspension of Motsoeneng and the urgent implementation of the Public Protector’s remedial actions.
“We call on the minister or the board to suspend Motsoeneng pending disciplinary action and to fill the long-vacant position of chief operations officer with a suitably qualified person urgently,” the coalition parties stated.
“The Collective for Democracy is laying criminal charges against the SABC acting chief operations officer as he clearly acted fraudulently in misrepresenting his qualifications to the SABC when applying for employment.”
The coalition parties felt that it would only be through the speedy implementation of these remedial steps that the impression of good governance and integrity at the SABC would be restored.
