The SABC on Wednesday warned that its CEO Madoda Mxakwe is not on social media and that fake Facebook and Instagram accounts carrying his name are misleading people.
The struggling South African public broadcaster on Wednesday cautioned people to disregard social media accounts bearing the name of the latest SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe, saying they are a violation of Mxakwe's rights and amount to identity theft.
The SABC last cautioned in May 2014 about its now-fired and controversial former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng who popped up on Twitter with a parody account, serving up words of wisdom for an appreciative nation.
Then the SABC said the Hlaudi Motsoeneng parody Twitter account is a violation of his rights and identity theft and was affecting the SABC, with the broadcaster that said it plans to get the Twitter account taken down.
It never happened but both fake Hlaudi accounts lost their luster in mid-2017 and although still available, fizzled out by themselves.
Now the angry SABC is warning the public about fake Facebook and Instagram accounts that the broadcaster says are "purporting to belong to the CEO Madoda Mxakwe".
"Mxakwe is not on social media and does not have either a Facebook or Instagram account. Any account with his name and photograph is deemed fake and must be disregarded. The public is urged not to engage with these accounts, as they were created with the intent to mislead people," says the SABC.
"The SABC views this matter in a serious light as this is just not a violation of Madoda Mxakwe's rights and identity theft, but it also affects the SABC as the organisation that Mxakwe represents."
