The Motsoeneng circus is in town

Just when the Hlaudi Motsoeneng circus seems to have moved on, up pops one of the more bizarre ringmasters of recent memory and his personal big top arrives to set up shop at a new venue. This week, Motsoeneng moved down the road from the corridors of power he once patrolled at the SABC’s headquarters in Auckland Park, north west of Johannesburg, to a nearby hotel ... and headed a marathon, ego-fi lled press conference.

Among the more outrageous claims made by the discredited former chief operating officer at the public broadcaster was that should he run for president, he would win. “I am loved by many people, I can mobilise over 20 million people. Majority of people, wherever I go, say I should be leading somewhere,” he said.

But having made this vainglorious boast, Motsoeneng then proceeded to give his personal endorsement to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in the succession race. “To those who want me to be president, I say it is not a secret that I support a woman … I won’t stand for presidency for now, I am concentrating on the SABC and all those who need my help,” he offered the backing of assembled musicians and actors, who had directly benefited from the “90% local content” rule Motsoeneng had driven through.

Motsoeneng, who is on suspension but maintains he was still employed by the SABC despite DA calls on the broadcaster’s interim board for his dismissal, remained adamant he was not the architect of the resultant chaos left behind.

“I am not apologetic about what happened at SABC … when I was there, there was money at SABC.”

Perhaps this all made perfect sense to Motsoeneng, but the fact remains that the SABC is in parlous financial straits and has lost much-needed credibility in the downward spiral.

The show, it seems, goes on regardless.