Friday, April 24, 2015

HLAUDI & STORMY: News coverage after the court orders the SABC to suspend its ontroversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng again.


After the Western Cape High Court yesterday ordered (for a 2nd time) that the SABC immediately suspend the controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) once again found himself mired news headlines.

The Herald reports that for a brief time yesterday it looked as if the SABC might suspend Hlaudi Motsoeneng. But the matricless COO wearing a purple suit, smiled and digged in, apparently paying his own way for the case of which the legal costs are already between R4 and R5 million.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party issued a press release saying it won again in getting a court order to have Hlaudi Motsoeneng suspended. The Cope political party says Hlaudi Motsoeneng must pay for his own appeal.

Today will apparently be "a normal day" for Hlaudi Motsoeneng who is ignoring the court ordered suspension and who told Pretoria News "for me it's a normal day".
In a great must-read opinion piece in the Independent, Craig Dodds asks: Has Hlaudi Motsoeneng's luck has run out?

Meanwhile Hlaudi Motsoeneng now appealing the Western Cape High Court's decision for a second time, meaning that it will go to the Supreme Court in Bloemfontein, means that it will become a landmark case to settle the debate on the powers of the Public Protector's reports says the Cape Times. "It's not over," says Hlaudi Motsoeneng's lawyer.

According to The Times Hlaudi Motsoeneng is battling for survival. Hlaudi Motsoeneng is exhausting all legal options to dodge his ordered suspension says Eyewitnessnews (EWN).

The Citizen says Hlaudi Motsoeneng is "stubbornly clinging to his R2.4 million job" with mock-fake humility: "I am just an employee of the SABC".

Take a look at the dramatic difference in the TV news reporting between how the SABC and SABC News (DStv 404) reported on its own news, and how much eNCA (DStv 403) and ANN7 (DStv 405) covered it on television.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng latest court saga is splashed across the front pages of several newspapers, like The Citizen and The Star - something which is hugely damaging for the image and brand of the SABC.