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Cape Town – Universal criticism and outrage is growing over the SABC shocking permanent appointment of the famously matricless and highly controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng as the SABC's chief operating officer (COO).
The SABC and the SABC board has so far failed to act on any of the recommendations of the Public Protector's damning report of Motsoeneng which was issued in February and which states that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC".
The SABC also never advertised the position of COO.
African National Congress national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said: "When such an appointment is made, given all the challenges that were there at the SABC before, at least we should be taken into confidence either by the SABC board or deployees of the ANC through the minister, so that we can have a better understanding."
A former SABC CEO, Dali Mpofu, told Alec Hogg on CNBC Africa: "It's pathetic when we get to a situation where skills are not valued...where the message that we send to young people is that you don't have to work hard to get those degrees or to acquire those skills, because all need is to be connected.
"I always say that even if you are going to employ people who agree with you politically, first and foremost, they must have the skills to do what they have to do.
"It discredits the whole notion of transformation if you're literally going to grab some guy from the taxi rank.
"The job of SABC COO is a very complex job. I'ts even more complex than the CEO's job, so I don't understand how anyone who allegedly does not have matric can even do it at all".
The secretary general of the SACP, Solly Maphaila, said the party wanted Communications Minister Faith Muthambi to review the position and to re-advertise the positions of SABC CEO and CFO and also advertise the COO position.
"We want to see this position re-advertised properly," said Maphaila.
"If Hlaudi Motsoeneng is competent enough...if he can prove he has been doing well, or others can prove that they can do better, on that basis a competent panel can then look into that and take a decision".
The Freedom of Expression Institute's executive director Phenyo Dean Butale said: "The Freedom of Expression Institute is disappointed at the permanent appointment of Motsoeneng as COO of the SABC.
"The appointment represents a further divergence of the public broadcaster from any hopes of restoring confidence in the fulfilment of its mandate under the current leadership.
"The appointment by Muthambi has undermined the due process to be exercised by the SABC board in acting in the recommendations of the Public Protector's report".
"The appointment of Motsoeneng in such a matter shows the complete disregard for prescribed procedure in the recruitment of senior management within the organisation. Muthambi has justified the appointment of Motsoeneng on the basis that he has been doing a good job. Evidence to support this claim is however not apparent.
"However, what is without doubt is that the SABC remains in crisis of management, strategy and implementation. Evidence in this regard is overwhelming with the SABC over the past three years receiving qualified audits reports".
Tuwani Gumani, secretary general of the Media Workers Association of South Africa (Mwasa), commented as follows: "The shenanigans surrounding the hustled appointment of the controversial COO of the SABC represent a well-rehearsed repeat episode.
"It has been a case of crisis management that includes massive golden handshakes and political back-patting. We have seen it all before but there seems to be no end to it.
"It cannot be acceptable that individuals, even mavericks and populists, are persistently touted as messianic appointees that will 'turn the SABC around'.
"Meeting the least criteria and mediocre performance amounts to an insult to the South African public that deserves far more than brazen displays of greed, self-interest and corruption that have so far been the hallmarks of the SABC's chequered history".
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) meanwhile "condemned the decisions of the SABC board and the minister of communications and urges the minister and the SABC board to comply with the call to review their decision endorsing the appointment".
The Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition) had the following to say: "Where was the fair, transparent and public appointment process we were promised by the ministry?
"The post was not advertised and, as such, no thorough recruitment process was followed".
The SOS Coalition said Motsoeneng's permanent COO appointment would "further undermine the stability and credibility of the SABC".
Public protector Thuli Madonsela told eNCA that Motsoeneng “lied to the SABC about having a matric certificate. He admitted it to me and I have a recorded interview with him.
"Secondly the position was initially advertised as a position requiring certain qualifications. Motsoeneng didn't have those qualifications. One of them was a tertiary degree which he didn't have.
"The SABC board chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala has written to me several times requesting extra time to submit an implementation plan.
"She was supposed to do that in 30 days. Five months down the line I'm still waiting for just a simple plan that indicated what Ellen Zandile Tshabalala is going to do. That obviously would have included her indicating to me how and when they were going to appoint the SABC's new COO".
Broadcasting, Electronic Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) said that it was "shocked" by the unprocedural appointment of Motsoeneng.
Bemawu says it demands "that the appointment be reversed and due process be followed, failing which we will legally challenge the recruitment process".
Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications called Motsoeneng's appointment as SABC COO "a dark day for democracy.
"Motsoeneng has been given a renewed mandate to continue his reign of terror at the public broadcaster.
"We can expect more surveillance and purging of SABC staff, more clampdowns on editorial independence and more 'happy news' that reflects positively on the governing party.
"Motsoeneng should have been suspended and disciplined following the Public Protector's report and not promoted. Motsoeneng has earned a reputation as a Goebbels-like figure at the centre of President Jacob Zuma's propaganda machine".
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party in a statement says it is "distraught by Motsoeneng's appointment.
"Motsoeneng does not deserve to be COO, because he is a liar and a conman," says EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
The civil rights group Afriforum says in a statement the shocking appointment of Motsoeneng as SABC COO is "a further example of disrespect for the Constitution and constitutional institutions that exist to protect the public against abuse of power and mismanagement."
The SABC and the SABC board has so far failed to act on any of the recommendations of the Public Protector's damning report of Motsoeneng which was issued in February and which states that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC".
The SABC also never advertised the position of COO.
African National Congress national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said: "When such an appointment is made, given all the challenges that were there at the SABC before, at least we should be taken into confidence either by the SABC board or deployees of the ANC through the minister, so that we can have a better understanding."
A former SABC CEO, Dali Mpofu, told Alec Hogg on CNBC Africa: "It's pathetic when we get to a situation where skills are not valued...where the message that we send to young people is that you don't have to work hard to get those degrees or to acquire those skills, because all need is to be connected.
"I always say that even if you are going to employ people who agree with you politically, first and foremost, they must have the skills to do what they have to do.
"It discredits the whole notion of transformation if you're literally going to grab some guy from the taxi rank.
"The job of SABC COO is a very complex job. I'ts even more complex than the CEO's job, so I don't understand how anyone who allegedly does not have matric can even do it at all".
The secretary general of the SACP, Solly Maphaila, said the party wanted Communications Minister Faith Muthambi to review the position and to re-advertise the positions of SABC CEO and CFO and also advertise the COO position.
"We want to see this position re-advertised properly," said Maphaila.
"If Hlaudi Motsoeneng is competent enough...if he can prove he has been doing well, or others can prove that they can do better, on that basis a competent panel can then look into that and take a decision".
The Freedom of Expression Institute's executive director Phenyo Dean Butale said: "The Freedom of Expression Institute is disappointed at the permanent appointment of Motsoeneng as COO of the SABC.
"The appointment represents a further divergence of the public broadcaster from any hopes of restoring confidence in the fulfilment of its mandate under the current leadership.
"The appointment by Muthambi has undermined the due process to be exercised by the SABC board in acting in the recommendations of the Public Protector's report".
"The appointment of Motsoeneng in such a matter shows the complete disregard for prescribed procedure in the recruitment of senior management within the organisation. Muthambi has justified the appointment of Motsoeneng on the basis that he has been doing a good job. Evidence to support this claim is however not apparent.
"However, what is without doubt is that the SABC remains in crisis of management, strategy and implementation. Evidence in this regard is overwhelming with the SABC over the past three years receiving qualified audits reports".
Tuwani Gumani, secretary general of the Media Workers Association of South Africa (Mwasa), commented as follows: "The shenanigans surrounding the hustled appointment of the controversial COO of the SABC represent a well-rehearsed repeat episode.
"It has been a case of crisis management that includes massive golden handshakes and political back-patting. We have seen it all before but there seems to be no end to it.
"It cannot be acceptable that individuals, even mavericks and populists, are persistently touted as messianic appointees that will 'turn the SABC around'.
"Meeting the least criteria and mediocre performance amounts to an insult to the South African public that deserves far more than brazen displays of greed, self-interest and corruption that have so far been the hallmarks of the SABC's chequered history".
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) meanwhile "condemned the decisions of the SABC board and the minister of communications and urges the minister and the SABC board to comply with the call to review their decision endorsing the appointment".
The Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition) had the following to say: "Where was the fair, transparent and public appointment process we were promised by the ministry?
"The post was not advertised and, as such, no thorough recruitment process was followed".
The SOS Coalition said Motsoeneng's permanent COO appointment would "further undermine the stability and credibility of the SABC".
Public protector Thuli Madonsela told eNCA that Motsoeneng “lied to the SABC about having a matric certificate. He admitted it to me and I have a recorded interview with him.
"Secondly the position was initially advertised as a position requiring certain qualifications. Motsoeneng didn't have those qualifications. One of them was a tertiary degree which he didn't have.
"The SABC board chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala has written to me several times requesting extra time to submit an implementation plan.
"She was supposed to do that in 30 days. Five months down the line I'm still waiting for just a simple plan that indicated what Ellen Zandile Tshabalala is going to do. That obviously would have included her indicating to me how and when they were going to appoint the SABC's new COO".
Broadcasting, Electronic Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) said that it was "shocked" by the unprocedural appointment of Motsoeneng.
Bemawu says it demands "that the appointment be reversed and due process be followed, failing which we will legally challenge the recruitment process".
Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance shadow minister of communications called Motsoeneng's appointment as SABC COO "a dark day for democracy.
"Motsoeneng has been given a renewed mandate to continue his reign of terror at the public broadcaster.
"We can expect more surveillance and purging of SABC staff, more clampdowns on editorial independence and more 'happy news' that reflects positively on the governing party.
"Motsoeneng should have been suspended and disciplined following the Public Protector's report and not promoted. Motsoeneng has earned a reputation as a Goebbels-like figure at the centre of President Jacob Zuma's propaganda machine".
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party in a statement says it is "distraught by Motsoeneng's appointment.
"Motsoeneng does not deserve to be COO, because he is a liar and a conman," says EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
The civil rights group Afriforum says in a statement the shocking appointment of Motsoeneng as SABC COO is "a further example of disrespect for the Constitution and constitutional institutions that exist to protect the public against abuse of power and mismanagement."
