Heavy hitters for latest Hlaudi hearing

A FORMER judge president and a top Johannesburg advocate have been appointed to lead disciplinary proceedings against SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The SABC’s interim board has appointed former KwaZulu Natal judge president Vuka Tshabalala to chair the inquiry, a move interpreted as the board’s demonstration of how seriously it regards the inquiry.

This is in stark contrast to the attitude of the previous board, which ran two separate hearings involving Motsoeneng, which were criticised as farcical after they cleared him of wrongdoing despite adverse court findings.

Former communications minister Faith Muthambi and board chairman Mbulaheni Maguvhe were accused of meddling in those disciplinary processes.

Advocate Pule Seleka has been appointed the initiator in the disciplinary process.

The interim board has also instructed SABC management to advertise Motsoeneng’s former position of chief operating officer with immediate effect.

The appointments of Judge Tshabalala and Seleka were confirmed by the chairwoman of the SABC interim board, Khanyisile Kweyama, in a letter to DA MP Phumzile van Damme.

Kweyama said a decision regarding the rest of the panel would be made on Wednesday.

Apart from charges related to his apparently irregular appointment at the SABC, Motsoeneng has been slapped with additional charges, including bringing the broadcaster into disrepute after attacking it at a press conference last week.

Van Damme said she was very pleased with the SABC interim board’s “swift action” against Motsoeneng.

“Next should be [acting CEO] James Aguma and all of Motsoeneng’s other enforcers.

“We look forward to the outcome of the disciplinary hearing against Motsoeneng, which should result in his dismissal from the SABC and laying of criminal charges for his apparent flouting of the Public Finance Management Act during his reign of terror,” she said.

On Tshabalala’s appointment as chairman of the inquiry, Van Damme said she trusted that the rest of the panel would be made up of “independently minded” individuals.

Motsoeneng’s lawyer, Advocate Zola Majavu, said he welcomed the fact that the SABC was moving swiftly with the disciplinary inquiry.

“When the court directed that the matter must go to another disciplinary, we said that we have no objection if the SABC, the public and the public protector were to appoint a panel,” said Majavu.

“So our position is that it doesn’t matter who is appointed as long as we can go before a proper tribunal.”