An auditor says that South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma through Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson forced the payment of over R1.1 million of Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal fees after the controversial and famously matriclesss former SABC COO was fired by the South African public broadcaster in June 2017.
The Sunday Times reports that the alleged corruption-riddled Bosasa has been "used as an ATM for politicians and those who are politically connected".
After the SABC and Hlaudi Motsoeneng racked up over R22 million in legal fees, Jacob Zuma reportedly dispatched his acolyte and former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni to force Bosasa through its CEO Gavin Watson to get Bosasa to pay and contribute to Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal fees.
This comes from a sworn affidavit by Petrus Venter, an auditor employed by a company contracted by Bosasa.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng's massive legal bills come after he went to the CCMA and the High Court in Johannesburg to fight against his SABC firing in a case that is continuing with legal bills that keep mounting in 15 different cases.
Bosasa was asked for comment about the legal fees payment but declined comment.
The City Press newspaper on Sunday reported on the same story reported on the same story.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s highest legal bill was R5.3 million, accrued during a fight with the Democratic Alliace (DA) political party over the former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s 2014 report that found that he had lied about having a matric certificate, as well as finding corruption, mismanagement and illegal salary hikes orchestrated by Hlaudi Motsoeneng.
The SABC told the DA that it's unable to pay the R1.7 million in legal fee costs that the SABC is supposed to pay the party under the court order.
Hlaudi Motsoeneng told The Sunday Times that "I have known Zuma for many years, since my days as a reporter for the SABC, and our relationship has nothing to do with politics. If I support my president whenever he goes to court as a matter of principle, then why can't he support me?"
