1KZN chair under fire
DAMNING allegations involving 1KZN TV surfaced this week in an email, unleashing a scathing attack on the community television station’s chairperson, Dr Themba Fakazi.
The email, which had been sent among other recipients to a number of media houses on Monday, alleged that Fakazi had misused more than R8-million of the station’s finances.
It said people had reported having seen Fakazi using the company’s bank card to pay for his social gatherings.
‘The board was informed of these findings and the verdict was left on them.
‘The chairperson was stripped of his right to have access to the channel’s finances and that was the only decision taken by the board.
‘No forensic investigation, no suspension until the investigation, basically nothing was done after he had spent more than 8 million of the company’s finances,’ an extract from the email read.
Approached for comment, Fakazi said the allegations were meant to drag his name through the mud and tarnish his reputation.
‘It is rather disappointing that such matters are discussed externally through media when we have our own internal processes and procedures in place.
‘Understanding the right to freedom of speech and expression, I will accept all properly filed grievances and let the board of directors deal with them and make the right decisions.’
In response to allegations that he had misused funds and that he was aware of the station’s financial crisis, and yet neither he nor the board had done anything about it, Fakazi said this remains an allegation pending an investigation by the board.
‘I will make the recommendations and the outcomes public upon finalisation. 1KZN TV operates as a corporate and thus engages professionals who are experts in their field.
‘In our case, there is a board and management team responsible for the financial well-being of the station.
‘The board receives and acts on the reported status. As far as I am aware, we are doing fine.’
The email made further allegations pertaining to a trip to Indonesia which Fakazi undertook.
An extract reads: ‘He (Fakazi) still enjoys the luxury of misinforming the public about all the initiatives he has done for the channel, even lying and saying his trip to Indonesia was to negotiate contracts that were not even initiated by him.’
Fakazi said he would recommend that the board undertake an investigation into all the allegations and the outcome would be made public.
According to Fakazi, the anonymous email, which was sent from a 1KZN TV mail server domain, is not listed on their system and is untraceable.
Station Manager Edwin Mncwango could not be reached for comment as to whether the email was the work of one disgruntled employee or represented the views of the majority of staff, but a senior manager who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed it was a general consensus.