SABC board corrupt - veterans

2010-08-31 14:28

Johannesburg - The Mkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA) will lay charges against the SABC board after the suspension of group chief executive Solly Mokoetle.

"We are going to lay charges against these board members with the relevant authorities...but we are also saying they must resign because they are corrupt," MKMVA chairperson Kebby Maphatsoe said at a media briefing on Tuesday.

Maphatsoe charged that Cedric Gina, a non executive board member, compelled the SABC management to hire a human resources consulting company that belonged to his personal friend, Justice Ndaba.

He said Gina also insisted that the SABC pays his telephone bills every month despite being a non permanent board member.

He further charged that chief financial officer Rob Nicholson approved a payment to board member Peter Harris for an amount of R200 000 for work Harris did as a board member.

Embezzlement

"To add salt to the wound, he (Harris) was paid through the staff salary system and not as a vendor providing a service in order to hide the money."

Maphatsoe further accused Harris of insisting to the board that he be in contract negotiations with a French based company for the World Cup and subsequently billed the board for R200 000.

"This is a clear case of embezzlement that is rife in the SABC board."

Maphatsoe attributed Mokoetle's suspension to the board wanting to hide corruption.

"How do you remove a clean person and replace him with a corrupt person," Maphatsoe said of Mokoetle being replaced with Nicholson in an acting capacity.

Politics

Maphatsoe further charged that the move to suspend Mokoetle was political due to the upcoming local government elections.

"The counter revolutionary want to take over the SABC board and make it political," he said.

He described non executive board member David Niveri, who is also a member of the SA Communist Party, as a "yellow communist".

He charged that people were "reconsolidating themselves" so that they could "own the media" when the local government elections arrive.

'Representing their organisations'

Maphatsoe said those sitting on the board were not representing their organisations but were expected to represent the public.

The MKMVA will march to Parliament next week to hand over a memorandum demanding the resignation of the board.

It further demands that Mokoetle be reinstated immediately.

Mokoetle was suspended last week from the position he took up eight months ago and he had indicated that he would challenge his removal and any disciplinary action taken against him.

Board members challenged Mokoetle on his appointment of Phil Molefe as head of news and his apparent failure to come up with a turnaround strategy for the cash strapped national broadcaster.

Mokoetle, said Maphatsoe, was a long standing member of the MKMVA.

- SAPA