The shocking R11.4 million bonus James Aguma secretly authorised and paid to Hlaudi Motsoeneng - two payments of R5.7 million - is for "securing" the highly controversial MultiChoice deal for the SABC to provide the little-watched SABC News and SABC Encore channels to DStv.
The eye-popping R11.4 million payment James Aguma ordered the SABC to make to Hlaudi Motsoeneng comes as the SABC in this coming week will declare yet another loss of hundreds of millions of rand in its latest financial report.
Meanwhile some members of the SABC board in a plan that doesn't have full SABC board approval, is seeking the "re-appointment" of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as "acting chief operating officer (COO).
"Acting COO" is a job title Hlaudi Motsoeneng has had several times before - after the Supreme Court of Appeal on Monday found his permanent appointment as COO invalid after a protracted court case the SABC and Hlaudi Motsoeneng dragged out as long as it could.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party in a statement on Sunday says it will "take the re-appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as 'acting' COO back to court. We have been left with no other option following the deplorable decision taken by the SABC to undermine the Western Cape High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal."
"This decision is a slap in the face of the rule of law and is a desperate attempt to allow the Hlaudi Motsoeneng 'wrecking ball' to continue his disastrous reign at the public broadcaster."
"This madness needs to be stopped," says the DA. "Our precious public resources should be spent on building a reputable, fair and well-run public broadcaster and not on the propping up of its single greatest impediment."
The Sunday Times on Sunday reported that the secret R11.4 million bonus to Hlaudi Motsoeneng was "made without the knowledge of the SABC board" with some SABC board members calling the massive bonus pay-out "fraud".
James Aguma, Hlaudi Motsoeneng and SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to detailed questions.
Also on Sunday City Press reported on the bonus pay-out that the full SABC board "had never approved" any bonus for Hlaudi Motsoeneng for the controversial MultiChoice SABC channels contract, according to SABC board members speaking on condition of anonymity.
Again Hlaudi Motsoeneng and SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment.
City Press also reported that, according to sources, Hlaudi Motsoeneng will be "re-appointed" as "acting" COO at the SABC and willalso replace Bessie Tugwana as the head of corporate affairs in the position she was just moved to a month ago.
The plan is apparently to move Bessie Tugwana to the newly created SABC position as group executive for special projects.
