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Mpofu taking his fight to court
11/05/2008 17:48 - (SA)
Japhet Ncube, Moffet Mofokeng and Makhudu Sefara
Johannesburg - Suspended SABC boss Dali Mpofu goes to court this week to challenge his suspension by the public broadcaster's board.
Mpofu was locked in marathon meetings with his lawyers on Saturday, planning how they were going to proceed.
It's also understood that Mpofu is to implicate Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad in court papers as one of the people behind the plot to oust him.
Pahad said on Saturday Mpofu had not contacted him, and he was therefore not prepared to comment on the matter.
"It has nothing to do with me, it is an issue between them, the SABC board and Dali," he said.
The planned action is expected to go to Johannesburg High Court either on Wednesday or Thursday, and it will add a new chapter to the saga at the continent's biggest broadcasting house.
Axed for insubordination
Mpofu, who was suspended by the SABC board barely hours after he had axed embattled news head Snuki Zikalala, for leaking a confidential audit report to African National Congress treasurer Mathews Phosa, believes his suspension was politically motivated.
Mpofu axed Zikalala for insubordination after he refused to reinstate fired Lesedi FM executive for current affairs Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
The audit report details Motsoeneng's alleged misleading of the SABC about his educational qualifications when he landed a job as a junior reporter in 1996.
Another source claimed Mpofu had told Phosa that the only reason Motsoeneng was not reinstated was because Zikalala had refused to "play ball".
This put Zikalala under pressure to account to Phosa - and he did this by showing Phosa Motsoeneng's dismissal dossier.
Phosa, however, refuses to speak on any matter involving Motsoeneng, saying Motsoeneng was his client.
The 14-member SABC executive management committee - one of Mpofu's key backers in the fight - said it "believes" Mpofu's suspension was linked to Zikalala's.
Mpofu believes his axing was a plot by the SABC board to get rid of him, and to interfere with the daily running of the broadcaster.
But, well-placed sources say the failure by the SABC to secure the lucrative cricket broadcasting rights for the 2011 World Cricket Cup is "really the straw that broke the camel's back".
Lost rights to several sports
ESPN Star Sports says the SABC failed to pay a deposit of millions of rands, leading to the rights finally going to SuperSport.
This was after the public broadcaster had lost soccer, rugby, Formula 1 and tennis rights - all of which are devastating for its audience-pulling power and revenue.
Mpofu has told sources that he had signed the ESPN contract on time, but blames the loss to SuperSport on the relationship between SuperSport chief executive Imtiaz Patel and the International Cricket Council.
Patel was offered the job of ICC chief executive about the same time as the rights were finalised.
A source said Mpofu was more concerned about appearing on television than dealing with substantial matters at the public broadcaster.
"He was more into the PR side. He just did not understand corporate governance issues and did not manage his relationship with the board and the chair, especially."
Three weeks ago, a memo by SABC board chairperson Khanyi Mkhonza "leaked to the media" made several damning allegations against Mpofu, including financial mismanagement, incompetence and insubordination.
Mpofu yesterday declined to comment on his next move, but confirmed he had engaged the services of lawyers to handle the matter.
Support from SACP leader
On Wednesday, the day Mpofu was suspended, the SABC executive committee wrote a letter to Mkhonza and the board demanding that Mpofu's suspension be rescinded with immediate effect.
Some of the people who signed the letter included Gabriel Mampone, the man who was subsequently appointed to act in Mpofu's place; Phumelele Ntombela-Nzimande, the wife of SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande; and SABC spin-doctor Kaizer Kganyago.
Nothing has come of the threat by the executive team. They have, however, been getting support from SACP leader Nzimande, who has of late become one of the key backers of Mpofu in his battles with the SABC board.
- City Press
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