The Sunday Times reports that the controversial Ellen Zandile Tshabala - who've refused to step down as SABC chairperson after she was exposed for claiming to have qualifications for tertiary studies at UNISA the university says she never completed - has now appointed Hlaudi Motsoeneng as CEO at the beleaguered SABC.
The Public Protector in February in a scathing report found that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC" and ordered him suspended.
Failure by the SABC executive and SABC board to do so and to comply with the findings of the Public Protector's report - which also found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng in a recorded interview admitted to lying about having a matric and "made up symbols for a matric certificate he knew he couldn't produce" as well as multiple other transgressions and implicating him in corruption and maladministration - saw the case being taken to the Western Cape High Court.
The Western Cape High Court also ordered Hlaudi Motsoeneng to be "suspended immediately" and for the SABC to start a disciplinary hearing against Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Hlaudi Motsoeneng decided to appeal the high court ruling.
Now as ongoing scandal is swirling around Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who has close ties with president Jacob Zuma, handed the scandal-riddled Hlaudi Motsoeneng - also with close ties to president Jacob Zuma - the reigns of the SABC as acting CEO for 9 days.
In a letter Ellen Zandile Tshabalala grants Hlaudi Motsoeneng the authority to "undertake the duties and functions of the group chief executive officer with effect from 13 November 2014 to 22 November 2014".
The acting SABC CEO, Anton Heunis, is ill.
"The fact is that neither Ellen Zandile Tshabalala nor Hlaudi Motsoeneng should be in office making decisions that affect the future of the SABC," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance's shadow minister of communications in a press statement.
"Yet they now appear to be consolidating their grip on the public broadcaster."
"Now that he has the power of the CEO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng is in charge of the administration of the SABC, including budgets and senior appointments. The CEO is also the editor-in-chief, which means that Hlaudi Motsoeneng now has the power to make editorial decisions."
"Ellen Zandile Tshabalala needs as many powerful allies as she can muster to survive the qualifications scandal she is engulfed in." Gavin Davis says "she should not be in a position to abuse her power in a way that advantages her".
"Hlaudi Motsoeneng clearly has a hold over Ellen Tshabalala, which is problematic given that it is the SABC board chairperson who must execute the court order to suspend him and hold a disciplinary hearing."
