SABC staff are in "grave concern and shock" over the latest reshuffling of top executives at the beleaguered South African
public broadcaster and a string of sudden top level appointments that wasn't
advertised and that staffers say "smack of favouritism" and is completely
unprocedural.
Simon Tebele has suddenly been appointed as
the SABC's new head of news and current affairs, with Tsheliso Ralitabo as the
new head of media technology infrastructure.
Kevin Green, the national sales manager for
TV sales is now the new general manager for TV sales (a position previous held
by Tshifhiwa Mulaudzi).
Meanwhile Bessie Tugwana who headed up the
SABC Sport division is swopping places with Sully Motsweni who headed up
corporate affairs.
Bessie Tugwana is suddenly in charge of corporate affairs while Sully Motsweni is now the head of SABC Sport, with no explanation to the public from the SABC as to why.
Nomsa Philiso who was the head of the
commercial enterprises division is now the SABC's new head of TV.
Nomsa Philiso is replacing the fired Verona
Duwarkah who allegedly had a falling out with controversial SABC chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng after Verona Duwarkah was unwilling to sign off on multi-million rand proposals for new local content
ordered by the famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng, including a new local fantasy mermaid drama, that was
allegedly not being commissioned properly.
The new SABC appointments are effective from
1 August according to the SABC.
In a statement the SABC says the appointments
are "aimed at continuously maximising the organisation's business efficiency
and delivering on the public service mandate".
The SABC says it believes that the
appointments will "strengthen the SABC’s core business and public service
mandate".
Meanwhile SABC staffers are shocked and outraged
who first heard of the appointments in the press statement.
Trade union Bemawu, in a strongly-worded
letter to SABC management this morning that TVwithThinus obtained a copy of and
has seen, slams the appointments and says it "smacks of favouritism".
"In particular in the instance of Simon Tebele,
it appears as if he is now rewarded, instead of being punished, for unlawfully
and invalidly terminating the employment contracts of the 7 journalists and by
doing so incurred fruitless and wasteful expenditure on behalf of the SABC," says Bemawu.
Bemawu says it has "grave concern and shock" about the SABC's appointments and the broadcaster's lack of respect for
employee rights.
Bemawu says in the letter to top management that it "insists
that the SABC undo these unprocedural appointments and advertise the posts to
afford all employees the opportunity to apply".
"The SABC has a recruitment policy stipulating
that all vacant positions shall be advertised internally as it is only fair to
afford everyone in the organisation the opportunity to apply for vacant
positions," says Bemawu.
Bemawu warns the SABC that if the
appointments are not reversed, that it will take legal action.
