Judgement reserved in Mpofu bid
2008-05-16 19:23
Johannesburg - Judge Moroa Tsoka reserved judgement on Friday in an urgent application by SABC CEO Dali Mpofu challenging his suspension.
"I will give judgement on Monday morning at 09:30," he told the Johannesburg High Court.
Tsoka on Friday questioned the SABC board's lawyers about the legality of CEO Dali Mpofu's suspension.
Hearing an urgent application from Mpofu challenging his suspension, Tsoka put it to the defence that there were discrepancies in their court papers.
Advocate Tim Bruinders, representing the SABC board, argued before the court that Mpofu's application should be turned down because there was no urgency in the matter.
But the judge interrupted Bruinders to ask him why the board felt it necessary to suspend Mpofu at 01:40.
"It seems...the applicant (Mpofu) should be given an inherent right to dignity," the judge said.
"Couldn't they have waited until he arrived at work the next day?"
Judge Tsoka also questioned Bruinders about a sentence in the court papers that stated the board had still not officially adopted the memo of the meeting where the suspension was decided.
The judge said it seemed that "the board acted prematurely".
SABC board chairperson Khanyi Mkhonza suspended Mpofu last Wednesday, the day after he suspended Snuki Zikalala, SABC Group executive of news and current affairs.
Mkhonza said Mpofu's suspension was pending an investigation into allegations about his conduct, including claims that he refused or failed to implement board decisions.
- SAPA