Editor
Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) should be bold enough in taking drastic measures in resolving the shenanigans surrounding SABC’s Chief Operation Officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng once and for all. The Minister has yet again showed the public that government institutions created by government itself like the Office of the Public Protector, which are protected by The Constitution under Section 9, are sometimes not respected as they should be.
Or, are only respected if only they suit or sugar coat ‘politically-connected’ certain individuals. The issue of Motsoeneng has been dragging on for a period of time. Recently, the Western Cape High Court came to a decision that Motsoeneng should be immediately suspended from his position because of what transpired about him in the Public Protector, Advocate ThuIi Madonsela’s report.
The Public Protector’s investigation revealed that the COO, Mr Motsoeneng, has no proper qualifications for the position and that he ‘improperly ballooned or increased’ his salary. However, much to the dismay of ordinary South Africans, the Minister instead of finding an incumbently qualified candidate for the position, she defied Madonsela’s report and recommendations and opted to appoint Motsoeneng on a permanent basis.
That was a conspicuous defiance of the Public Protector’s office. The recent high court decision was an embarrassment to Minister Muthambi’s ability of judgement. The Minister’s actions portray her as someone who is hell bent on protecting Motsoeneng at all costs. And, this is utterly naïve of the Minister because she should be the one giving the SABC Board a clear direction and leadership skills.
By being on suspension, it won’t mean that Motsoeneng is no longer allowed to go to courts to challenge the decision.
He has every right to do so per se but, it would mean that the government is fully prepared to minimise the unnecessary embezzlement of taxpayer’s money. Hence, we suggest that the SABC Board, Parliament Communications Committee and the Minister herself should do the honourable thing and suspend Motsoeneng.
Meanwhile, his intent on using the courts to fight his battles will never award him with a Senior Certificate. Moreover, how can we motivate children to acquire as much education as they can to brighten their future? Obviously to thousands of unemployed graduates, this is a travesty of justice. In fact, this Motsoeneng on-going saga reminds me of George Orwell’s Animal Farm that: “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.”
Philani Hadebe from Draycott is a freelance journalist who majored in Political Science
