SABC witnesses ‘misled committee’

PARLIAMENT has threatened action against people who gave contradictory evidence before an inquiry into the SABC’s affairs.

Addressing the ad hoc committee yesterday, chairman Vincent Smith said it was blatantly clear that some witnesses had not taken the inquiry seriously. “We will throw the book at those that have undermined Parliament in this respect,” Smith said.

“Somebody has misled Parliament… And somebody has to pay the price for it,” he said.

This was after former SABC board chairman Ben Ngubane had finalised giving his evidence yesterday. At the hearing, Ngubane contradicted previous testimony made to the committee that the SABC had incurred costs by hosting The New Age breakfasts.

This prompted Smith to note three other contradictory testimonies made last month.

Earlier, the committee got off to a rocky start with Ngubane complaining about not being given adequate time.

‘Shaved’

“My head was shaved in this House in my absence. You allowed people to comment on me without letting me know,” he said.

However, Smith told Ngubane that the inquiry was not about individuals, but to get the holistic picture of affairs.

Throughout his testimony Ngubane, who chaired the board between 2010 and 2013, was defiant and took a swipe at the report of former public protector Thuli Madonsela, which made findings against him and Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

He claimed the report was compiled out of statements he was not asked to corroborate.

Ngubane heaped praise on Motsoeneng, who rose through the ranks at the SABC to become the chief operating officer despite not having matric.

According to him, Motsoeneng was hired because of his skills. He also defended the 63% salary “adjustment” the embattled Motsoeneng obtained when he became the group executive for stakeholder relations. “Salaries at the SABC are normally very high. Hlaudi came from the provinces at a very low salary‚” said Ngubane.

He also dismissed a claim by former acting chief executive Phil Molefe that he had recommended the salary increase for Motsoeneng. Ngubane also painted a picture of the SABC that they had “cleaned up” after they found it bankrupt.

Also appearing before the committee was Ellen Tshabalala, who presided over the board between 2013 and 2015.

She said it had been surprised by the public protector’s office publishing its report into the affairs of SABC before they had received it. She was disturbed that some of the complainants were former SABC employees.

Tshabalala said there was “gross political interference” in the affairs of the public broadcaster, and implicated SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, the ANC and the DA. She denied that she had bullied the board to appoint Motsoeneng during her tenure.