SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng is adamant that the SABC's relationship with the influential Gupta family won't stop because he says Gupta media, like the SABC, share good stories about South Africa.
Although the SABC recorded a loss of R401
million, Hlaudi Motsoeneng says the South African economy is doing well, and doing
well from the point of view of the SABC.
The SABC's famously matricless chief
operating officer (COO) is embroiled in a protracted legal battle over his
permanent appointment at the public broadcaster despite a damning report from
the Public Protector in February 2014 implicating him in maladministration.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng spoke again on Friday at The
New Age newspaper's latest breakfast briefing in Cape Town that was
broadcast on SABC2's Morning Live.
"The relationship between us and the Guptas,
it is a relationship that we are not going to stop," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "Reason
is, the Guptas, they share the views that we share: good stories about South
Africa".
"As long as we share the same views about
South Africa, we will always partner with them. We should be proud about our
own country. South Africa is doing well," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
The Gupta-owned The New Age newspaper
and the ANN7 (DStv 405) TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV
platform again came under criticism recently for its relationship with the
SABC.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader
Julius Malema recently said "ANN7 and The New Age are not media houses,
they are organisations used for money laundering".
"Morning Live used to broadcast events
in the rural areas and everywhere else.They never asked for state-owned
companies to sponsor them. The New Age comes and then hijacked Morning
Live and said 'Telkom must sponsor us'. Then the money is put into The New
Age and taken by the Guptas the politically connected from there," said
Malema. "So that is evidence enough of these entities being used to siphon
money from state institutions”.
'For SABC the economy is doing well'
"In SABC we have brain to make sure that we
come with innovation to sustain the organisation," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "When
people were saying economy is not doing well for the country, for SABC the
economy was doing well".
In the latest financial report the SABC
recorded a massive loss of R401 million.
"We shall not say, especially economists, 'everything is not well'. Everything is well. It is how as people are we
reacting to the situation. And we as SABC we did react accordingly."
"I always differ with intellectuals.
Sometimes I don't see this intellectual in them. They make not like it, but
that is how I see it," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"It can't be right, South Africans to say
people who, like myself, don't have matric, I can't lead the organisation. It
can't be right."
'God has given all of us talent'
"Even Jesus Christ. People were asking 'Who
is this Jesus Christ?' Some of them were intellectual if you read Bible. And
that was the person who saved people. It is very important for all of us as
South Africans, not to discriminate," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
"Because for me, those who are talking about
qualifications but they can't do the work. Which means you are saying people
who did not go to school, they should go and steal. We can't allow such a
situation. God has given all of us talent and brain to excel and assist
ourselves, which we are doing."
