Hlaudi needs to move on
IT IS yet to be seen whether the SABC and Communications Minister Faith Muthambi will be bold enough to defy the Supreme Court of appeal.
Will they ignore the court finding upholding the Western Cape High Court’s ruling that Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s appointment was irregular and that the minister acted unlawfully in defying the public protector?
If they do, it means that more taxpayers’ money will be wasted in ill-fated battles to protect Motsoeneng from imminent dismissal.
This is the last opportunity for the SABC board and the minister to recommit themselves to serving the public interest as their positions oblige them to do.
If the past is anything to go by, we shouldn’t hold our breath.
In February 2014, public protector Thuli Madonsela held a press conference where she released her report into the Motsoeneng and the SABC saga aptly titled “When governance and ethics fail.”
The tale of Motsoeneng’s rise to the seat of chief operating officer of the public broadcaster is indeed a tale of failed ethics. It epitomises the brazen disregard for principles of good governance and values such as honesty and integrity.
Under his reign the SABC has become synonymous with arbitrariness and partiality. Policies are not based on rationality and lawfulness but are dictated by the whim of this overbearing character called Motsoeneng.
The public protector found that his appointment was irregular and that his conduct in increasing the salaries of some employees and his own exponentially over the space of 12 months amounted to maladministration.
She ordered the SABC to discipline him and rescind his appointment.
What followed was to be a spectacle of defiance and arrogance that has left our jaws on the floor as Motsoeneng has thrown his weight around like an untouchable prince.
Not only did Muthambi disregard the public protector’s report regarding Motsoeneng but also blatantly defied it. Instead of removing Motsoeneng she confirmed him as permanent COO after he’d been acting for some time.
After shirking its responsibility for some time, the SABC was compelled by a court to hold a disciplinary hearing to ascertain the lawfulness of Motsoeneng’s conduct.
The process cleared Motsoeneng of all wrongdoing. But it was nothing but a farce.
Motsoeneng, the SABC board and the minister remained defiant even after they witnessed the Nkandla showdown in which the public protector’s remedial actions were vindicated.
If the Supreme Court of Appeal’s dismissal of his application to appeal the finding of the high court does not humble Motsoeneng to submission what will? It’s about time he concedes defeat and moves on.