Mpofu slams 'personal vendetta'

2008-06-02 14:33

Johannesburg - The SABC board failed in a court bid on Monday to appeal against the reinstatement of chief executive Dali Mpofu.

The Johannesburg High Court dismissed an application for leave to appeal against an earlier ruling that the suspension of Mpofu was unlawful.

"The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with costs," said Judge Moroa Tsoka.

"I'm on my way to work again. This is over until the next game," Mpofu told reporters after the hearing.

"It is clear that this is no longer about the interests of the SABC - it is a personal vendetta. But I will fight it all the way. It is such a waste of resources and time," added Mpofu.

Mpofu was suspended on May 7, a day after he suspended his news chief Snuki Zikalala, who was accused of leaking a memorandum on Mpofu's alleged bad management of the SABC to the Sunday Times.

Mpofu challenged his suspension and the Johannesburg High Court ruled in his favour last month. The court ruled that the meeting where the suspension was decided did not follow the correct legal procedures, including giving reasonable notice of the board meeting to all relevant parties.

But the SABC board applied for leave to appeal against this ruling and also wanted Mpofu to remain suspended while the court heard its appeal.

Its lawyer, advocate Tim Bruinders, argued on Monday that the meeting was indeed lawful because all relevant parties were notified verbally about the meeting.

However, Tsoka ruled that the reason for his first ruling in favour of Mpofu stood, and that the SABC board had brought no new evidence to persuade him otherwise.

No reasonable notice in writing of the board meeting was given to all relevant parties and that was one of the reasons why it remained invalid.

Tsoka dismissed the appeal which means Mpofu's suspension remains unlawful.

The Independent Democrats (ID) on Monday criticised the board "for wasting taxpayers money on court cases that are also a waste of time."

"We must hold them personally liable for the legal costs they have incurred and get that money back from them," said ID leader Patricia de Lille.

"The behaviour of the board has caused a lot of uncertainty among journalists and staff at the SABC and they must stop running the public broadcaster as if it is their own little corner shop," said De Lille.

"They must begin to take their constitutional mandate to act in the interests of all South Africans seriously."

- SAPA