The SABC just issued another press release in which the SABC board is openly contradicting, repudiating and publicly shaming the insistence of the SABC board chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane that the removed acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng is again the acting COO.
Follow this quick developing story which has now become the SABC's biggest, highest level crisis circus and its biggest public embarrassement yet:
- The SABC board on Tuesday last week met to remove Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting COO and appointed Mike Siluma as the new acting COO.
- Mike Siluma then suddenly resigned on Friday.
- Dr. Ben Ngubane then reappointed Hlaudi Motsoeneng who returned to the position of acting COO a mere three days after he was removed from the position.
Now the SABC issued a press statement this afternoon, from the SABC board, blatantly chastising the SABC's chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane and the SABC board deputy chairman Thami ka Plaatjie.
The SABC says in the statement that Hlaudi Motsoeneng is definitely not back as acting COO, and makes it painfully clear in a public statement (which is so embarrassing since it damages the SABC itself as it damages whatever credibility dr. Ben Ngubane has left as chairperson).
The SABC says that it "is regrettable as neither the chairman nor the deputy chairman nor both have the power or authority to unilaterally change a board resolution".
The new and latest statement from the SABC, issued by the SABC board, makes it painfully obvious that there is a massive fracturous relationship between the SABC board and the SABC board chairperson.
It show either a lack of good governance, in-fighting, or both within the highest ranks at the SABC.
Dr. Ben Ngubane did not attend the meeting on Tuesday where it was decided to remove Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting COO. Dr. Ben Ngubane meanwhile claims that he didn't know about the decision.
Yet the SABC press statement - chillingly - goes to great length to directly spell out how only the SABC board has the power to make decisions and not dr. Ben Ngubane, and goes into eye-popping detail insofar as it spells out why dr. Ben Ngubane would have known what was going on because he was informed.
"It is critical to note that, since then, the SABC board has not met to rescind this resolution [to remove Hlaudi Motsoeneng]."
"It cannot be then that the SABC board resolution to relieve the former acting COO of his acting duties has been rescinded. The so-called 'withdrawal' of letters signed by the deputy chairman Thami ka Plaatjie (on behalf of the SABC board) does not have any effect on the SABC board resolution taken at a properly convened SABC board meeting. The resolution stands until rescinded by another properly constituted SABC board meeting."
What this all means:
The SABC board met last Tuesday in Cape Town (without dr. Ben Ngubane, but who the SABC board says knew the decision to remove Hlaudi Motsoeneng was coming because the discussion was carried over from a previous meeting).
Mike Siluma was chosen to be the new acting COO of the SABC. Mike Siluma resigns.
On Friday dr. Ben Ngubane and Thami ka Plaatjie "reappoints" Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting COO, basically by "withdrawing" the letter that usually goes to the minister of communications to say that says someone is relieved from a position.
The SABC board now comes out publicly and says the SABC board makes these decisions not the chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane and the deputy chairperson Thami ka Plaatjie.
It shows publicly and deliberately overtly that there is division and huge conflict (to put it lightly) between the SABC board on the one side and dr. Ben Ngubane (and possibly also Thami ka Plaatjie who may or may not have simply signed a form) on the other side.
The SABC board hugely damages the SABC through what it's saying (i.e revealing the conflict and contention and the apparent lack of leadership, unilateral decision making, decision-making without due process and authority) at the highest level of decision-making at the SABC.
However, the SABC board damages dr. Ben Ngubane even more by doing this. The SABC's own board is telling its chairman through its own organisation by issuing a press release that he is wrong. In-cre-dible.
The SABC board stops short of saying it in so many words, but makes it transparent that dr. Ben Ngubane is basically involved in a power grab and overstepped boundaries he should know exists and is usurping powers to make "appointments" (change SABC board decisions) which he doesn't have.
It also shows how far the SABC has fallen. The upper management echelon of the SABC no longer seems to care to present any form of a united front (keep the dirty laundry inside), or to publicly embarrass and humiliate each other in order to "win".
Meanwhile South Africa's TV industry is gasping as it looks on at the latest shocking turn of events in a real-life supersized soap opera of epic proportions which is totally eclipsing all previous scandals and breathtaking executive circuses which have played out at the SABC's Auckland Park headquarters before.
The SABC's spokesperson called me back today after I made a media enquiry asking: Who, right at this moment, is the acting COO of the SABC? The spokesperson said he is not authorised to talk about it and that I need to contact a member of the SABC board directly. That has never ever happened before.
Settle in, because there sure to be more unbelievable, yet true, chapters coming in this fast-developing story.
