In a shocking ouster SABC1 channel head Ray Nkwe is getting the boot, with the South African public broadcaster firing the general manager of South Africa's biggest TV channel.
Numerous insider sources are telling me that the SABC is planning to get rid of all channel heads to possibly be replaced by just one executive that will be overseeing SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3. As yet, I haven't heard of any ''you're fired'' letters being given to SABC2 channel head Bessie Tugwane or SABC3 channel head Mate Mosito-Okaba.
Ray Nkwe however has been advised by letter that his services as channel head of SABC1 will no longer be needed as the SABC's acting group CEO Robin Nicholson is going on a major firing spree to rid the broadcaster of top structure managers. The longtime Ray Nkwe being shown the door as SABC1 channel head is set to send shockwaves through the TV industry in the week to come. I have asked Ray Nkwe and SABC1 for comment about his coming retrenchment and I'm waiting for a response.
Ray Nkwe presided over the attempt to improve the SABC1 primetime line-up this past August branded as ''Mzansi Fo Sho Reloaded'' with mixed success. Under Ray Nkwe's tenure as chanel head SABC1 embarked on a push to more low quality glam entertainment magazine shows, titilating trash like Intersexions and banal reality shows like Dance Your Butt Off and the advertiser-funded Class Act that's not really in line with the SABC's supposed ethos of being a public broadcaster. And then there's Relentless - a new ''R10 million'' reality show that SABC1 is supposedly working on. The disastrous 1st Annual Stars of Mzansi Awards in 2008, the public broadcaster's attempt to create an award show if its own, also happened under Ray Nkwe's watch and never went beyond ''1st annual''.
