BREAKING. SABC's matricless boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng salary gets a staggering 31% increase in one year from R2.87 million to R3.78 million.

The remuneration of the SABC's controversial boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng went up by a staggering 31% in just one year from R2.87 million to R3.78 million in the latest financial year - including a bonus paid of R279 000.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng's eye-popping pay is nearly R1 million more in payment from the public broadcaster than in the previous financial year, and was revealed today when the SABC tabled its annual report in parliament.

The SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) is embroiled in a protracted court case currently at the Supreme Court of Appeals, over his appointment as COO at the SABC after he lied about having matric and was fingered in last year's scathing report from the Public Protector which found that he should "never have been appointed at the SABC".

The report found maladministration and abuse of power at the public broadcaster and said that Hlaudi Motsoeneng admitted in a recorded interview to lying about having matric and made up symbols for a certificate he knew he couldn't produce.

The Public Protector ordered the SABC to suspend Hlaudi Motsoeneng following the findings of the irregular appointment and that a disciplinary process be started immediately.

"This nearly R1 million pay increase is incomprehensible given the ongoing crisis at the SABC," says the Democratic Alliance's Gavin Davis, member of parliament and member of parliament's portfolio committee on communications, in a statement on Wednesday.

"It is significant that in 2014 the Public Protector found Hlaudi Motsoeneng guilty of unlawfully increasing his own salary three times in the space of one year. It appears that is at it again," said Davis.

"Hlaudi Motsoeneng continues to rake in millions of rands at the expense of the TV licence paying public. There can be no justification for Motsoeneng's salary to increase by 31% in one year."

"In comparison, other workers in the public sector such as nurses, teachers and police officers received a 7% increase over the same period".

"It should be remembered that Hlaudi Motsoeneng was earning just R334 000 as a SABC radio producer in 2010. Five years later and his salary has increased more than ten-fold," said Gavin Davis.

"We cannot sit back and allow Hlaudi Motsoeneng to wreck the SABC and be rewarded handsomely for doing so."

SABC paying Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Ellen Tshabalala's legal fees by submitting claims to the SABC's insurance company.

It's come to light in parliament that the SABC is paying the large legal fees of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the public broadcaster's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) and the disgraced former chairwoman Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who lied about qualifications she doesn't have.

South Africa's minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, in response to questions by the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party, revealed that the SABC has been submitting claims to the public broadcaster's insurance company to pay for Ellen Zandile Tshabalala and Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal fees.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng is mired in a protracted court battle over his appointment as COO and after the Public Protector's scathing report in February 2014 according to which he admitted in a recorded interview that he lied about having matric and made up symbols for a matric certificate he knew he couldn't produce.

The Public Protector's report implicated him in serious maladministration and several instances of abuse of power and found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng should "never have been appointed at the SABC" and that a disciplinary hearing should start immediately.

The SABC never did and the court case that  will now likely determine the powers of the Public Protector has now reached the Supreme Court of Appeals.

According to Gavin Davis, DA member of parliament and member of parliament's portfolio committee on communictions, the SABC paying Ellen Tshabalala and Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal fees means that taxpayers are funding their legal costs.

"It is now clear why EllenTshabalala was prepared to use every tactic her legal team could dream up to delay the outcome of the parliamentary inquiry, including a court interdict. She had been guaranteed a bottomless pit of public money to avoid justice for as long as possible. Ellen Tshabalala stated last year that her legal fees came to more than R1 million."

"Hlaudi Motsoeneng is appealing a high court judgment ordering the SABC to suspend and discipline him, as directed by the public protector, says Gavin Davis. "The exact cost of Hlaudi Motsoeneng's legal fees so far is not known, but it is likely to be in the region of R1.5 million - and counting".

"With the public paying his legal expenses, it is no wonder that he has vowed to take his case all the way to the constitutional court if his appeal fails."

"Not only is it morally unjustifiable for the public to pay Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Ellen Tshabalala's legal costs, there are serious question marks over the legality of the SABC's decision to indemnify them from paying."

"Both lied about their qualifications before they joined the SABC. This means they committed wrongdoing in their personal capacity; it cannot be said that they committed these acts in the course and scope of their employment. Indeed, the SABC should be taking action against Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Ellen Tshabalala, not funding their legal battles".

In April, Hlaudi Motsoeneng's lawyer, Zola Majavu, said that Hlaudi Motsoeneng had been paying his own legal fees in the case which had already run into millions of rands.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday morning.

SABC pays out R42,6 million in golden handshakes the past 6 years to get rid of executives; enough for 26 415 annual SABC TV licence renewals.

The SABC has paid out R42,6 million in golden handshakes over the past 6 years to executives leaving the embattled South African public broadcaster - enough for 26 415 annual SABC TV licence renewals.

The country's public broadcaster has made it rain to the tune of R42,6 million in golden handshakes for executives leaving the SABC over the past 6 years, the minister of communications Faith Muthambi has revealed in parliament in reply to a question from the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Former SABC CEO Dali Mpofu was the biggest money getter - receiving a whopping severance pay-out totalling R6,7 million as well as an additional R4,4 million in a restraint of trade payment and an additional R2,1 million in legal fees, bringing the total to a massive R13,2 million golden handshake payout.

The former SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo who abruptly quit without giving reasons less than a year (11 months) after taking over as the top executive at the beleaguered broadcaster was paid out a massive R5,6 million after not finishing her 5 year contract. It included a R4,2 million agreed separation payment and a R1,4 million restraint of trade payment.

Other SABC executives who got millions of rands from the public broadcaster to go away was the former SABC head of news Phil Molefe, paid R4,9 million to leave in 2013.

Phil Molefe was forced out says Gavin Davis, the DA's member of parliament and member of parliament's portfolio committee on communications, because he allegedly refused to bow to political pressure to blacklist Julius Malema from the airwaves.

The SABC's former acting chief operating officer (COO) Christine Mampane got R4,3 million and the former SABC CEO Solly Mokoetle took home R3,8 million.

Solly Mokoetle is now the head of South Africa's digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration project at the department of communications.

Others rolling in the money after leaving the SABC with golden handshakes include former SABC secretary Thelma Melk (R3 million), Zaiboonisha Jones (R1.7 million), Rapitse Montsho (R1.2 million), Jackie Motsepe (R882 000), Christopher David (R800 000) and Khulekelwe Mbonambi (R623 000).

"The amount paid to executives whose contracts are terminated prematurely averages out at R7 million per year. This is the equivalent of 26 415 annual TV licence renewals," says Gavin Davis in a statement.

"In virtually all of these cases, the executives receiving the payouts were purged for political reasons."

"As with other public entities, SABC executives are hired on the basis of their perceived loyalty to the dominant faction of the ANC instead of their ability to do the job. When deployed cadres fall out of political favour, they get dumped with a massive payout to soften the landing."

"This constant churn of deployed cadres is the reason why the SABC lurches from one crisis to the next," says Gavin Davis.

Even the ANC now acknowledges that there's a leadership crisis at the SABC. In its recent NGC discussion paper, the ANC says "the series of crises at the public broadcaster reflect a lack of leadership, lack of accountability and poor management."

The ANC says there's been a lack of "attention to holding those responsible to account for the financial and organisational maladministration that has brought the public broadcasting institution into crisis".

Clueless Faith Muthambi contradicts ANC, says there's no crisis at the SABC; while ANC's latest policy document slams SABC over 'series of crises'.

The situation turned awkward for South Africa's clueless minister of communications Faith Muthambi who told parliament that there's "no crisis at the SABC" - although the ruling ANC political party says there's been "a series of crisis" at the beleaguered SABC.

On Wednesday, the embarrassed Faith Muthambi squirmed after she denied in parliament that the SABC was in crisis - only to be told that the ANC's new policy documents state that the SABC, riddled in crises, reflects a lack of leadership, and that those responsible for it are not being held to account.

"The SABC is not in crisis, you know it very well, it's not at all," Faith Muthambi told parliament on Wednesday. "I can assure you, SABC is on the right course, you know that, you know it very well that it's on the right course and it's delivering its public service mandate as expected."

Faith Muthambi appeared clueless and in denial about the state of the SABC according to the ANC - and contradicted her own political party as minister of communications.

The ANC's National General Council (NGC) latest discussion document on the SABC explicitly states: "The series of crises [plural] at the SABC reflect a lack of leadership, lack of accountability and poor management."

"In confronting the crises more emphasis has been placed on reporting process without a corresponding attention to holding those responsible to account for the financial and organisational maladministration that has brought the public broadcasting institution into crisis".

"The ABC says the SABC is in crisis as a result of leadership failure, while Faith Muthambi says there is no crisis," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party's member of parliament and a member of parliament's portfolio committee on communications.

"It is quite clear that many in the ANC are deeply embarrassed about the state of the SABC, not to mention Hlaudi Motsoeneng's [SABC chief operating officer] uncanny ability to bring the SABC into disrepute whenever he opens his mouth," says Gavin Davis.

"Faith Muthambi, on the other hand, is quite happy to let Hlaudi Motsoeneng continue wrecking our public broadcaster," says Gavin Davis.

SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng in parliament, again calls for South Africa's media 'to be regulated'; but told he 'damages the credibility of the SABC'.

"South African media need to be regulated," the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng told parliament on Tuesday.

It's the third time Hlaudi Motsoeneng, mired in a protracted court case regarding his appointment as COO of the SABC, called for South Africa's media to be regulated and for journalists to be "licensed".

"I think it's very important that all people should be regulated. What we're trying to say here is we need people to be professional when they do their work."

"You know, some people talk about sources. What is sources? Those sources they should be credible. Journalists they should go and be able to go there and verify the facts. Not just the sources that are not even credible. Sometimes are misleading," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "There is nothing wrong with it."

Hlaudi Motsoeneng's "regulation" plea was rebuffed in parliament by Gavin Davis‚ the Democratic Alliance (DA) member of parliament saying that it "is the kind of nonsense that has made Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the SABC a laughing stock across South Africa. If anybody needs to be 'regulated' it is Hlaudi Motsoeneng himself".

"Every time Hlaudi opens his mouth‚ he damages the credibility of our public broadcaster," said Gavin Davis.

"It was also cause for concern that Hlaudi Motsoeneng appeared to be "dictating SABC editorial policy".

"This is particularly so in the light of the SABC missing the deadline to review its editorial policy by six years. The SABC was supposed to have reviewed its editorial policy - with input from the public - by 2009," said Gavin Davis.

In a separate statement‚ AfriForum said Hlaudi Motsoeneng's attack on Monday and Tuesday on media freedom should be regarded as a "wake-up call for the reinforcement of independent media institutions".

New SABC CEO Frans Matlala reveals: SABC struggles to improve audience share, missed most revenue targets, wasteful spending continues.

The SABC's new CEO Frans Matlala in his first report to parliament since his appointment revealed that the public broadcaster struggles to improve audience share, that most revenue targets in late 2014 were missed, that the SABC overspend on sport and that wasteful and irregular spending continue to the tune of millions of rand.

Frans Matlala also blamed the bad South African economy and competition, SABC schedule disruptions, as well as the dramatic implosion at the South African Post Office - which is supposed to deliver accounts for SABC TV licenses - for a dip in the public broadcaster's revenues.

In his first performance and expenditure report to parliament as the SABC's new CEO, Frans Matlala today gave the portfolio committee on communications feedback on the SABC's position for the third quarter of 2014.

While the SABC's news report broadcast on SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC3 on Tuesday evening painted a very rosy picture of the public broadcaster and noting how "pleasing" it is to the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, the story deliberately left out all of the more alarming details of the report back.

None of the following were reported on, or broadcast by, the SABC and SABC News:

The SABC continues to struggle to improve the public broadcaster's TV audience share which remains at 49% - below the set target of 52%. In order words, the SABC failed to lift its audience share as it was supposed to.

It was also revealed in parliament that marketing research done by one of the SABC's broadcasting rivals indicated that the SABC's drop in audience figures is apparently mainly as a result of perceived bias in SABC News coverage.

"During this period we had a challenge - particularly on the SABC TV side with our performance," Frans Matlala admitted to parliament.

"We missed our target by 2% due to two main issues. The one is from just immediately after the World Cup [when] we changed our schedules."

"We moved some programmes from SABC1 to SABC2, which is something that our viewers didn't like very much. And of course we lost audience there."

"The second one was Generations was cancelled [on SABC1] during that particular period and it took us a while to come up with an alternative," said Frans Matlala.

The SABC News channel on the DStv platform for which the public broadcaster receives millions of rand per year, is growing its viewership, but now has a daily average audience of 7 428 viewers.

On the 9 targets the SABC set for itself regarding "human capital" in the third quarter of 2014 the SABC met only 2. Seven were not met "due to capacity constraints and vacancies".

"The third quarter [of 2014] was financially challenging," Frans Matlala revealed to parliament's portfolio committee on communications.

"Our revenue targets, most of them were not met, except for our net financing income," said Frans Matlala. "The total revenue during this period was R2.099 billion - which was lower than budget by 9%."

"There are reasons for this unfavourable performance. A lot of them derive from increased competition, from the fact that most of our clients cut their budgets owing to contractions in the economy," said Frans Matlala.

Frans Matlala also blamed the South African Post Office for damaging SABC TV license revenue collection, saying that the SABC's TV licence fees were below budget".

"We depend on the South African Post Office to mail SABC TV license statements. During this period the Post Office experienced significant strike action."

"There were disruptions to our SABC schedules during this period. And of course the delays in approving the revised SABC licence tariff increase of 6%, which continues to put pressures on our revenues."

The SABC overspent on sport content that was not budgeted for.

Frans Matlala said that the SABC's lower revenues is due to things outside of the SABC's control.

"Its due to reductions in revenue from advertising, sponsorship, trade exchanges, SABC TV licence fees, and a lot of these depend on the appetite by the advertisers."

Frans Matlala revealed that irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure at the SABC continues.

During this period the SABC had R2.05 million in irregular expenditure and R820 000 in fruitless and wasteful expenditure, Frans Matlala revealed.

"One of the commitments that we make here is that where there are instances of avoidable wasteful and fruitless expenditure, the leadership of the SABC is always committed to ensure that action and consequences follow," said Frans Matlala.

"During October 2014 the SABC issued an RFP [Request for Proposals for productions] book with a total value of more than R600 million; making it the largest RFB book issued by the SABC for local content yet. It's a significant investment that will support the development of independent local producers," said Frans Matlala.

Some MPs referred to the SABC as "under-achieving".

Although it's in the public interest and members of parliament are tasked with oversight of the SABC, the chairperson of the communications committee on Tuesday blatantly blocked MPs from asking follow-up questions of SABC executives "in the interest of time".

MP Gavin Davis of the Democratic Alliance (DA) refused to back down and remain quiet. He tried to ask his questions of the SABC anyway -although not answered - while the chairman tried to silence him.

"If entities come here and mislead us, we have an obligation to put that right," said Gavin Davis. "Chairperson its unfortunate that you are quite happy to allow entities to come here to mislead us. And we are not even allowed to question them, when they mislead us."

"We are supposed to do oversight of the executives and you feel quite happy ...".

Faith Muthambi told parliament that "we all know and understand that the SABC is a state-owned entity under the guidance of the ANC led government. That's one thing we shouldn't be apologetic of".

Communications minister Faith Muthambi told axed SABC board member Hope Zinde: 'but Baba loves Hlaudi. We must support him.'

Shocking correspondence between the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi and an axed SABC board member shows how Faith Muthambi allegedly directly interfered in the purging of SABC board members who were against the appointment of the SABC's famously matricless boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng, with ousted former SABC board member Hope Zinde writing that Faith Muthambi told her "But baba loves Hlaudi".

Faith Muthambi's reference "baba" is a reference to president Jacob Zuma.

Faith Muthambi told SABC board member Hope Zinde - who got axed because she voiced opposition to Hlaudi Motsoeneng: "but baba loves Hlaudi. He loves him so much. We must support him."

As the unstable SABC board keeps lurching from crisis to crisis, former SABC board members Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi were all axed the past few months, allegedly through Faith Muthambi using the Companies Act, not the Broadcasting Act to interfere in the running of the SABC board.

While Dikeledi Tsotetsi, the acting chairperson of the ANC study group on communications said in June that "we have received no formal complaints from those who may have felt they had been treated unfairly" and that "we are of the view that its time to close this chapter and allow the minister of communications space to continue her work with the SABC", is now come to light that the ousted SABC board members wrote several letters to Faith Muthambi, and to complain about her alleged undue interference.

Hope Zinde also wrote that she had "dire concerns" about the contract in which the SABC sold access to the public broadcaster's archives to pay-TV behemoth MultiChoice.

Hope Zinde also complained about Hlaudi Motsoeneng -.

The Public Protector in February 2014 in a damning report found that the controversial chief operating officer (COO) should "never have been appointed at the SABC" and lied about having a matric.

As SABC board member, Hope Zinde wrote that Hlaudi Motsoeneng is "a stumbling block" in the proper functioning of the SABC board.

"At [parliament's] portfolio committee on 22 June, Daniel Mantsha, [Faith Muthambi's lawyer] argued that none of the SABC board members had contested their dismissal and that there was therefore no reason to consider their reinstatement."

"Yet a few days after the committee meeting, one of the axed SABC board members, Ronnie Lubisi made a public statement declaring that he had in fact lodged a complaint," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) MP.

Interestingly it has now also come to light that Daniel Mantsha was struck off the roll of attorneys in 2007.

It was on Daniel Mantsha's advice that Faith Muthambi told parliament she intervened in the governance of the SABC which led to the purging of Ronnie Lubisi, Rachel Kalidass and Hope Zinde.

Hope Zinde wrote to Joyce Moloi-Moropa, the chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on communications, writing that "only the members who did not support the appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng received these threatening letters [from Faith Muthambi] and are as such targeted".

In another letter Hope Zinde wrote in March this year to Joyce Moloi-Moropa, she said that the SABC chairperson prof. Obert Maguvhe  "is representing Hlaudi Motsoeneng's interests" and not that of the SABC board.

Hope Zinde wrote that Faith Muthambi then informed her that: "But baba loves Hlaudi. He loves him so much. We must support him."

Growing concerns about the process followed and the validity of the appointment process of the new SABC CEO Frans Matlala.

Concerns are growing around the process followed and the validity of the appointment of Frans Matlala who the South African Broadcasting Corporation yesterday announced as its new CEO.

The rudderless SABC, which is also limping along with a gutted SABC board, hasn't had a CEO for a year and five months since Lulama Mokhobo abruptly quit in February 2014 without explanation and left with a golden handshake just a few months into her 5 year contract

At its Auckland Park headquarters the SABC yesterday announced that Frans Matlala, a former banking executive who've been an advisory consultant for the SABC for a year, has been appointed as the new SABC CEO.

Frans Matlala was already identified in October 2014 as the frontrunner to become the new SABC CEO as fears grew that Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) would be appointed as CEO.

SABC executives Tian Olivier and Anton Heunis who had both served as acting SABC CEO in the past were the other two contenders for the position. In April Anton Heunis suddenly left the SABC as acting CEO.

Frans Matlala said he hopes to serve as SABC CEO for the entire length of his contract. Since 2009 several SABC CEO's either left or were fired long before the end of their tenure.

The non-profit media monitoring organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) slammed the lack of transparency in the SABC CEO appointment process.

"It is very difficult to comment on a process where there has been so little transparency," William Bird, MMA director tells TV with Thinus.

"We would like to know: When was the SABC CEO position advertised? Who were the top three candidates, when did the interviews take place, who made the decision at SABC board level and when was person appointed?"

"We heard contradictory statements at the SABC press conference. We we told that Peter Matlala was appointed by the current reduced SABC board. Hlaudi Motsoeneng then said that actually the SABC CEO appointment had taken place under the older SABC board before the two members were removed, and that the delay was in the minister of communications agreeing to the appointment."

"It cannot be both," says William Bird.

"It seems that yet again instead of improving corporate governance we have another controversial SABC appointment that is likely to yield more challenges in the future."

The SOS Coalition, a public pressure group representing a vast number of the biggest industry stakeholders in South Africa's public broadcasting sphere, is also raising concern about the appointment process.

"We need to know when the recommendation was made and whether the SABC board that made this recommendation was, indeed quorate, or whether, yet again, it operated unlawfully to push for an appointment viewed as suitable by government," Sekoetlane Phamodi, SOS Coalition coordinator tells TV with Thinus.

"There remains the tender issue of the legality of the Memorandum of Incorporation," says Sekoetlane Phamodi.

"[It] is incompatable with the basic tenets of public broadcasting which require the institution to be demonstrably independent of government influence in how it allows the government of the day to cherry-pick the editor-in-chief of the SABC as well as the very people that direct the operations and finances of the SABC."

"This cannot be allowed to be the case lest the SABC is reverted back into a state broadcaster as we had under the erstwhile apartheid regime," says Sekoetlane Phamodi.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party also says there are questions around the appointment process of Frans Matlala.

"With only 6 members, the SABC board is three short of the quorum it requires to make legally binding decisions such as the appointment of a new CEO. The DA is looking into this," says Gavin Davis, DA MP and a member of parliament's portfolio committee on communications.

The Congress of the People (COPE) said it doesn't support Frans Matlala's appointment as SABC CEO.

"He is a close ally of Hlaudi Motsoeneng. We don't think that there will be any changes because Hlaudi Motsoeneng will still be in control. This man will only be a flower pot and Hlaudi Motsoeneng will still run the show," said COPE.

Leah Khumalo, new SABC board deputy chairperson, said that "we believe we had enough quorum to make the appointment. We are sure all legal requirements were satisfied".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said at the Auckland Park press conference that "Frans Matlala was appointed even before the three SABC board members left the organisation. It is not a new matter. The only issue that was outstanding, it was the approval from the minister".

The minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, congratulated Frans Matlala who is a supporter of Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"We wish Frans Matlala all the best as he undertakes the important task of ensuring that our public broadcaster delivers on its mandate of fulfilling the public's right to know, educate, and entertain as well as nation building."

"We are looking forward to working with him, the SABC board and the entire leadership of the SABC in realising their obligation to serve the whole population."

New SABC CEO Frans Matlala: Broadcaster will be 'telling the truth but balancing the perspective'; political parties react to his appointment.

The new SABC CEO Frans Matlala says the South African public broadcaster going forward will tell the truth but be "balancing the perspective" and that he will be spending the next 3 months talking to various people to find out what happened at the SABC in the past and what issues there are.

Frans Matlala was announced as the new permanent SABC CEO yesterday at the broadcaster's Auckland Park headquarters, a year and five months after Lulama Mokhobo quit just a few months into her five year contract.

Frans Matlala, who is a supporter and ally of the SABC's controversial and brash famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng and who was an advisory consultant for the SABC for a year, admitted that there was room for improvement at the beleaguered SABC.

The public broadcaster has been lurching constantly from crisis to crisis and scandal tot scandal since 2009 when it came to the brink of financial collapse and got a billion rand bailout in the form of a government guaranteed loan from Nedbank.

Frans Matlala, the umpteenth CEO to take the reigns at the SABC since 2009, has to try and rightsize the broadcasting behemoth.

The SABC - fraught with ongoing insider politics, executive and SABC board room power struggles and growing perception concerns about news bias, maladministration and undue political interference - faces big internal challenges.

There's also the looming and expensive switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) which the SABC will now only start with a paltry 5 TV channels one of which will be the rerun channel SABC Encore (DStv 156), as well as complex and difficult questions over the future funding of the public broadcaster.  

"Over the next 100 days I'm going to spend time with the SABC executive team, and of course I'll spend time with the SABC board and different people outside the organisation, including the minister of communications Faith Muthambi, parliament's portfolio committee of communications and different stakeholders so that I can appraise myself of things that have happened in the past, current realities, as well as future issues that I need to be aware of," said Frans Matlala.

Frans Matlala very closely echoed president Jacob Zuma's speech last month he gave at the SABC media launch event when the broadcasting footprint of the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, was extended into several African countries.

"I think it's important that we take advantage of the role and the opportunity we have to be able to serve the nation and Africa as a continent and lead that narrative. And it's a narrative of telling the truth but at the same time balancing the perspective that we put on the table," said Frans Matlala.

Political parties in South Africa reacted over the appointment of Frans Matlala.

The ANC congratulated Frans Matlala. "The appointment of a CEO for the SABC is long overdue and therefore we congratulate him on his appointment and wish him well in his position particularly in terms of continuing to deepen the mandate of the SABC as a public broadcaster," said the ANC.

The Congress of the People (COPE) said it doesn't support Frans Matlala's appointment as SABC CEO.

"He is a close ally of Hlaudi Motsoeneng. We don't think that there will be any changes because Hlaudi Motsoeneng will still be in control. This man will only be a flower pot and Hlaudi Motsoeneng will still run the show," said COPE.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it tentatively welcomes the appointment of Frans Matlala, but cautioned that Frans Matlala will have to "put Hlaudi Motsoeneng in his place".

"The new SABC CEO is not Hlaudi Motsoeneng. This, in itself, is a positive development," said Gavin Davis, DA MP.

"Frans Matlala has an opportunity to learn from the experiences of his predecessor, Lulama Mokhobo, who resigned as CEO after just 11 months. The Public Protector found that her position was made untebale by Hlaudi Motsoeneng's campaign to bully and undermine her."

"The key to Frans Matlala's success in this new role is for him to quickly stamp his authority as the top administrator at the SABC. Already the signs are good that Frans Matlala will put Hlaudi Motsoeneng in his place."

"There are some question marks around the process to appoint Frans Matlala. With only 6 members, the SABC board is three short of the quorum it requires to make legally binding decisions such as the appointment of a new CEO," said Gavin Davis.

Appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe as SABC chairperson condemned by South African political parties, IFP, DA and COPE.

The political appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe as new permanent SABC chairperson by president Jacob Zuma on Friday has been swiftly condemned by South African opposition parties like the IFP and the Democratic Alliance (DA), saying Maguvhe is being rewarded for getting rid of independently-minded SABC board members and protecting the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

On Friday president Jacob Zuma announced that Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe, who happens to be blind and who had been the acting SABC chairperson, has been appointed to the position permanently and that SABC board member Leah Khumalo has been appointed as new deputy SABC chairperson.

Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe took over as acting SABC chairperson at the beginning of 2015 after the scandalous exit of the disgraced and shamed Ellen Tshabalala who left in December 2014 after she was exposed for lying about tertiary qualifications she didn't have.

Prof. Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe then presided over the purging of the SABC board members Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi, leaving the unstable and gutted SABC board without a quorum.

"Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe proved his political usefulness further this year when, as acting chairperson of the SABC board, he illegally removed Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi," says the DA member of parliament and member of the portfolio committee on communications, Gavin Davis.

"It has since been confirmed by parliament's legal advisors that Maghuve's decision to remove these SABC board members was unlawful."

"He is now being rewarded for getting rid of excellent and independently-minded SABC board members and protecting Hlaudi Motsoeneng when he should have been fired."

"Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe's appointment is bad news for all South Africans who want the SABC to be the independent public broadcaster envisaged in our Constitution," says Gavin Davis.

The IFP said it rejected the political appointment of Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe and that the SABC and the SABC board will only become credible and effective when the struggling public broadcaster is separated from politics.

"For as long as it is treated as a cadre-deployment division of the ANC, it will not be able to fully and independently executive its mandate in the public interest," says the IFP member of parliament Liezl van der Merwe.

The IFP called Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe and Leah Khumalo "loyalists" of the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi and of Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The IFP says it rejects Prof Obert Mbulaheni Maguvhe appointment as new permanent SABC chairperson "because he must still be held to account for the unlawful and illegal removal of three independent-minded board members - Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi earlier this year."

The Congress of People (COPE called Prof Pbert Mbulaheni and Leah Khumalo "praise singers" and said "Luthuli House will in effect control the SABC," in a statement.

"The SABC, like the ruling party in parliament, will continue with whitewashing misdemeanours and continue to regard all us fools."

SABC spends a whopping R3 million a year on its choir - to sing the praises of its famously matricless COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The SABC spends a whopping R3 million a year on its choir and among their songs is one singing the praises of the crises-riddled public broadcaster’s famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, told parliament that the SABC spends a massive R3 million per year on its choir.

The SABC choir has 40 choristers, 25 freelancers and 15 permanent SABC staff members. The splurge of R3 million per year by the SABC includes a monthly salary of a massive R10 000 for each of the freelancers, as well as travelling costs.

The SABC choir sings songs of praise in SABC staff meetings for the embattled COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng with lyrics like “Hlaudi Motsoeneng reya o leboha” (Hlaudi Motsoeneng we thank you.”)

The embattled Hlaudi Motsoeneng is embroiled in a protracted court fight after the Western Cape High Court has already twice ordered the SABC to immediately suspend him – a judgment he's appealing.

Last year the Public Protector in a damning report implicated Hlaudi Motsoeneng in maladministration and corruption at the public broadcaster, finding that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC" and that he should be suspended.

According to the Public Protector, Hlaudi Motsoeneng lied about having a matric certificate and made up symbols for a matric certificate he knew he didn't have and couldn't produce.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng was implicated as having been involved in getting rid of everyone who testified against him in an earlier disciplinary hearing at the SABC, and his salary increased from R1.5 million to R2.4 million at the SABC in one year.

The Public Protector's report advised the SABC to appoint a new COO within 90 days. Instead the SABC appointed Hlaudi Motsoeneng in the position permanently.

Gavin Davis, a member of parliament (MP) of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and a member of the portfolio committee on communications says in a statement that "the question needs to be asked whether the SABC can justify spending R3 million per year on an in-house choir. Surely it would be cheaper to commission the services of a professional choir if and when the need arises?"

"The fact is that the SABC can't afford unnecessary extravagances such as its own choir. As internal SABC financial documents recently brought to light by the Sunday Times show, the public broadcaster faces a loss of R501 million in this financial year," says Gavin Davis.

"The disbandment of the SABC choir should be at the top of the SABC’s list of cost-cutting measures."

Earlier this week, Faith Muthambi told parliament that the SABC is "in a sound financial state" and that "the SABC is on the move".

Faith Muthambi told parliament that during this financial year R173 million from the department of communications’ budget has been allocated to the SABC.

While Faith Muthambi promised parliament that a new SABC CEO would be in place by the end of September 2014, nine months later the position is still vacant.

The unstable SABC board characterised by vicious infighting has been without a permanent board chairperson for months since the resignation of Ellen Tshabalala following the embarrassing revelations that she had lied about her qualifications.

With originally 12 SABC board members but several resignations last year and purging of three further SABC board members – Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi – earlier this year, the SABC board no longer has a quorum to legally constitute meetings.

'SABC is in crisis, the scale of which is only starting to become clear,' says Democratic Alliance's Gavin Davis; SABC 'facing financial ruin'.

South Africa's minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, was slammed on Wednesday as "willfully misunderstanding her role in relation to the SABC" for saying the beleaguered public broadcaster is a state-owned company.

Gavin Davis, a Democratic Alliance (DA) member of parliament and a member of the portfolio committee on communications on Wednesday said the SABC is in crisis, "the scale of which is only starting to become clear" and that "the SABC is facing financial ruin".

He slammed Faith Muthambi, saying she "believes that the SABC is a state-owned company instead of an independent public broadcaster" and that South Africa will face "humiliation on a global scale" in less than a month when the country miss the internationally agreed to deadline to complete the switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), a process known as digital migration.

Gavin Davis told parliament that Faith Muthambi has failed in her promise of a new SABC CEO to be appointed by September 2014 and that the SABC is being taken back to an apartheid era tool in the hands of ruling party politicians.

Gavin Davis told parliament that since a year ago "we've had an SABC board chairperson [Ellen Tshabalala] resign because she was caught lying about her qualifications. But this was only after 6 damaging months of postponed hearings, court cases and other delaying tactics".

"We've had an SABC chief operating officer (COO) [Hlaudi Motsoeneng] who has been shielded and promoted when the Public Protector said he should have been fired".

"We have a Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) that is abused to promote the majority party, including the channeling of public money into the coffers of a government-friendly newspaper owned by the president's friends".

"In a few weeks on 17 June, we face humiliation on a global scale because, on that day, we will miss the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) deadline to switch over from analogue to digital television".

"If Faith Muthambi had not spent the last year meddling with the Digital Migration Policy, and waging an obsessive turf war to control the process, it is unlikely that we would be in the embarrassing position we now find ourselves in," said Gavin Davis.

While she promised that a new SABC CEO would be in place by the end of September 2014, nine months later the post is still vacant.

"Faith Muthambi wants to take us back to the apartheid era when the SABC was a tool in the hands of politicians, instead of a resource belonging to the people of this country. This is why Faith Muthambi thinks there is nothing wrong with unilaterally seizing the powers of the SABC board, even though this is in clear contravention of the Broadcasting Act," said Gavin Davis.

He also noted that with Faith Muthambi directly interfering with the governance of the SABC and instrumental in the purging of three SABC board members - Hope Zinde, Rachel Kalidass and Ronnie Lubisi - earlier this year, the unstable SABC board which has had only an acting SABC chairperson for months and originally had 12 board members, no longer has a quorum to legally constitute meetings.

"No wonder the SABC is in crisis, the scale of which is only starting to become clear," said Gavin Davis.

"The SABC faces a projected loss of R501 million for the financial year just ended on March 31. This loss is projected to double to R1 billion in the next financial year. The SABC is not on a 'sound financial footing but facing financial ruin," said Gavin Davis.

"We need to work together to find the most qualified and independently minded candidates to take up positions on the SABC board and then they need to be left alone to do their jobs in the interests of the public we serve. These steps will go some way to get the SABC back on track," said Gavin Davis.

A new crisis hits the SABC board - nobody wants to be on it. Parliament concerned over only 24 applications for 2 positions; postpones process.

With the severely damaged public reputation of the SABC and ongoing drama at the beleaguered public broadcaster another crisis has been created: South African citizens are no longer willing to serve as readily on the unstable SABC board marred by acrimonious in-fighting and plagued by government interference as people once were.

A new crisis has hit the SABC and the SABC board: nobody apparently wants to be on it.

From hundreds of applications in the past when an SABC board position opened, its plunged to only a shocking 24 applications which were received - for two positions.

Meanwhile instability continues with the SABC board still without a permanent SABC board chairperson - a vacancy which has also not yet been filled.

Prof. Obert Maguvhe has been serving as acting SABC chairperson for almost half a year now after the shamed Ellen Tshabalala abruptly resigned in mid-December 2014 after being exposed for fraudulent credentials.

Ellen Tshabalala lied about tertiary qualifications she didn't have but claimed she "did nothing wrong" despite being found guilty on two charges by parliament's portfolio committee on communications, tasked with oversight of the struggling public broadcaster.

The call for applications for a new SABC chairperson led to 97 applications received but in the months since her departure has not yet been filled.

While five candidates out of the 97 were shortlisted by parliament not a single interview for new SABC chairperson has taken place.

Meanwhile the public broadcaster continues to make daily news headlines for all the wrong reasons similar to struggling and crises-riddled parastatals SAA and Eskom.

Since the beginning of the year other another three SABC board members - Rachel Kalidass, Ronnie Lubisi and Hope Zinde - were all fired by the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, saying she can do so under the Companies Act because the SABC is a state-owned firm, instead of the Broadcasting Act which directs the workings of the public broadcaster.

Besides those three SABC board posts not yet filled - only 24 applications were received for the vacant positions of yet another two "empties": that of Thembinkosi Bonakele and Prof. Bongani Khumalo.

Thembinkosi Bonakele quit the SABC board almost a year ago in June 2014 with Faith Muthambi taking months to tell parliament. A fed-up Prof. Bongani Khumalo, tired of government interference in the SABC board abruptly quit in January 2015.

The crisis with a lack of people with experience and a background in broadcasting and management willing to serve on the SABC board, is raising fears that people have now become scared to damage their career CV's if the potential exists for their names ending up in lurid headlines, or getting removed as a board director if there's backstage drama.

The crisis with too few applications for the SABC board which originally had 12 members, has now led parliament's portfolio committee on communications to postpone the process of finding and replacing SABC board members.

Portfolio committee chairperson Joyce Moloi-Moropa admitted yesterday that there exists a perception problem, since the position of permanent SABC chairperson has not yet been filled, while further vacant positions for SABC board positions had been advertised.

Gavin Davis, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP and member of the portfolio committee yesterday requested that the vacant positions for SABC board members be readvertised. "I must be honest, I can't find that much quality among these 24 candidates and that is going to leave us with a problem."

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP and member of the portfolio committee said that the low number and quality of applications reflect a crisis for the SABC and the country.

"If the vacancies were properly advertised then this country is in a crisis because these CV's were difficult," he said.

The portfolio committee on communications now wants to relook at the 97 applications received for SABC chairperson, to possibly use and sift through those to fill the growing gaping holes on the SABC board.

Joyce Moloi-Moropa said parliament's legal advisors will be asked about the legality of including the 97 CV's for the SABC chairperson position.

Criticism mounts over SABC 'hijacking' by minister Faith Muthambi, reducing powers of SABC board through secret memorandum.

Criticism is growing over the unilateral "hijacking" of the SABC by the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, who in a secretive change through a SABC Memorandum of Incorporation, has apparently stripped the SABC board of its powers, reducing the SABC board'sautonomy and reducing the board to a rubber stamp.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that this 'hostile takeover' poses the gravest threat to SABC independence since 1994," says Gavin Davis, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) shadow minister of communication and member of parliament in a statement.

"The Memorandum gives minister Faith Muthambi and the SABC's chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng overall control of the SABC," says Gavin Davis - a clear violation of section 13 of the Broadcasting Act which gives the SABC board the authority to "control the affairs of the corporation".

Gavin Davis warns that "if allowed to stand, this memorandum will turn the SABC from a public broadcaster into a state broadcaster".

The Memorandum of Incorporation signed by Faith Muthambi in September 2014, forces the SABC board to seek the approval of the minister of communications on any rule changes to the governance of the SABC.

No such rule existed in the SABC Articles of Association signed in 2011.

The far reaching implications of the Memorandum of Incorporation is that the requirement to advertise for the vacant positions of high-ranking jobs like SABC CEO, COO and chief financial officer (CFO) is gone.

The Democratic Alliance says it creates "a flawed appointment process to be carried out for the vacant post of SABC CEO, paving the way for Hlaudi Motsoeneng to be appointed".

The change also gives Faith Muthambi "absolute authority" to decide whether the SABC CEO, COO and CFO should be re-appointed, as well as the conditions of the person's re-appointment.

Previously the SABC board controlled the re-appointment process.

"This means that the minister now has the power to unilaterally re-appoint Hlaudi Motsoeneng when his contract expires".

The same goes for suspensions. The SABC CEO, COO and CFO can now only be suspeneded or disciplined "with approval from the minister".

"This gives Faith Muthambi the power to block any move by the SABC board to discipline Hlaudi Motsoeneng, as directed by the Public Protector in February 2014," says Gavin Davis.

The new Memorandum of Incorporation now also allows the minister of communications to unilaterally make the SABC's COO the acting CEO, by stating that "in the event of the CEO position being vacat for whatever reason, the COO shall act in that position upon approval of the minister".

"This means that Faith Muthambi now has the power to make Hlaudi Motsoeneng the acting SABC CEO," says the DA's Gavin Davis.

Furthermore Faith Muthambi now has the sole authority to "extend an acting CEO, COO and CFO's contract beyond an initial three month contract", giving her the power to unilaterally keep Hlaudi Motsoeneng on as acting SABC CEO for the forseeable future.

Faith Muthambi now also has the power to recommend the removal of a SABC board member. Previously this power was exercised by the SABC board.

According to the Broadcasting Act only parliament and the SABC board have the power to recommend the removal of a SABC board member.

Shockingly, the Memorandum of Incorporation has now introduced a new clause - section 20.2.4 - making the SABC liable to pay the legal fees of directors "to defend litigation in any proceedings arising out of the director's services to the corporation".

"This is clearly to ensure that Hlaudi Motsoeneng is afforded an endless supply of public money to fund the court case over his appointment as SABC COO," says the DA's Gavin Davis in the statement.

"In short the Memorandum of Incorporation removes the power of the SABC board to run the SABC, and puts in place a set of rules to ensure the protection and promotion of Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"The implications of this Memorandum of Incorporation are profound for the independence of our public broadcaster," says Gavin Davis.

"The SABC board cannot sit back and allow the minister and Hlaudi Motsoeneng to usurp their powers."

"Civil society organisations and parties from across the spectrum need to work together to fight this hostile takeover that will destroy independent public broadcasting in our country," says Gavin Davis.

BREAKING. Widespread shock, disbelief, condemnation over SABC's ridiculous appointment of matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng as COO.

Widespread shock, disbelief and condemnation is the reaction to the shocking news that the beleaguered SABC has permanently appointed the famously matricless and highly controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng to the position of chief operating officer (COO) without the position ever being advertised.

The shocking appointment of the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng - embroiled in multiple maladministration charges in a scathing report from South Africa's Public Protector released earlier this year which stated that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng should never have been appointed at the SABC" - seems to signal the death knell for the SABC as any kind of credible or reputable public broadcaster.

The public broadcasting pressure group, SOS Coalition, is "alarmed" by Hlaudi Motsoeneng appointment, saying the vast group - representing civil society as well as the larger majority of South Africa's TV industry - is "shocked" by his permanent appointment as COO.

"Where was the fair, transparent and public appointment process we were promised by the ministry?" says the SOS Coalition.

"The post was not advertised and, as such, no thorough recruitment process was followed". The SOS Coalition says the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng's permanent COO appointment will "further undermine the stability and credibility of the SABC".

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela told SABC radio news that she doesn't understand what happened and why Hlaudi Motsoeneng has suddenly been appointed permanently, while she is still waiting for a response to the report issued about him earlier this year.

"I'm still waiting for a response from the SABC and from the minister. Until then, I'm not in a position to understand what has just happened".

The SABC's biggest trade union, the Broadcasting, Electronic Media and Allied Workers Union (Bemawu) says in a statement it is "shocked" by the unprocedural appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as chief operating officer at the SABC.

Bemawu says the position was advertised more than two years ago and only internally - in January 2012.

Bemawu says it demands "that the appointment be reversed and due process be followed, failing which we will legally challenge the recruitment process".

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party in a statement calls Hlaudi Motsoeneng's appointment as SABC COO "a dark day for democracy".

"Hlaudi Motsoeneng has been given a renewed mandate to continue his reign of terror at the public broadcaster," says Gavin Davis, the DA shadow minister of communications.

"We can expect more surveillance and purging of SABC staff, more clampdowns on editorial independence and more 'happy news' that reflects positively on the governing party".

"Hlaudi Motsoeneng should have been suspended and disciplined following the Public Protector's report, not promoted. Hlaudi Motsoeneng has earned a reputation as a Goebbels-like figure at the centre of President Jacob Zuma's propaganda machine".

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party in a statement says it is "distraught by Hlaudi Motsoeneng's appointment.

"Hlaudi Motsoeneng does not deserve to be COO, because he is a liar and a conman," says EFF member of parliament Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

The civil rights group Afriforum says in a statement the shocking appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng as SABC COO is "a further example of disrespect for the constitution and constitutional institutions that exist to protect the public against abuse of power and mismanagement".

Parliament blasts SABC: 'Everything at the SABC remains a permament drama, like a drama that comes on the SABC at 8 o' clock every night'.

Parliament on Friday blasted the SABC as furious members of parliament's portfolio committee on communications took turns to lash out at the South African public broadcaster.

Even the new minister of communications, as well as the portfolio committee's chairperson didn't hold back - respectively describing the SABC as "plagued by a myriad of problems" and that "the SABC remains dysfunctional", as well as saying that "there's a dark cloud hanging over the SABC".

A lot of their outrage was directed at the SABC's controversial and famously matricless acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng (pictured above).

The member of parliament Mbuyiseni Ndlozi from the EFF party, said that "Hlaudi Motsoeneng, that the Public Protector's report has had to speak about - which we are waiting to hear when is he getting fired - wakes up in the morning and says that we must license journalists. Running an institution that is supposed to be engaged in journalism, that is supposed to be reporting the news".

"He's supposed to be the number one defender of the SABC of the freedom of expression, of the freedom of the media".

"I find it very hard that we can entrust the SABC to walk out of the crisis it's been in since 2007 when the SABC leadership doesn't take these issues seriously. When is Hlaudi Motsoeneng getting fired? When?" asked Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

"Everything at the SABC remains a permanent drama, like a drama that comes on the SABC at 8 o' clock every night".

"Get leadership stability, improvement of TV channels. The most important questions that will restore legitimacy for the public is to respond to the leadership questions and the Public Protector's report on Hlaudi Motsoeneng," said Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

"What is preventing the SABC from suspending Hlaudi Motsoeneng? Surely he cannot continue at this organisation?" asked Gavin Davis, from the DA political party.

"The SABC remains in a perpetual crisis, it's losing market share, it's losing audiences, it's losing money from advertisers going elsewhere. There's needs to be an injection of talent to make the SABC a viable institution," said Marian Shinn, from the DA political party.

"Your own SABC commissioned marketing research shows that your losing market share and credibility, particularly with SABC News. No-one trusts the SABC news".

"The SABC is looking for customers of the SABC's archives. Well, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, last year you gave away the SABC archives to MultiChoice. They have the rights to your archives - not part of it, all of it. The contract says 'the archive'. So what on earth have you got left to sell to anybody else?"

"Last year I asked who is going to pay for the digitisation of the SABC archive materialso that MultiChoice could use it to launch their 24-hour SABC entertainment channel."

"The answer came back that the money - just over R300 for the entertainment side of the MultiChoice SABC deal would be used to digitise the material. Is that being done? Why has the SABC entertainment TV channel not gone live? It should have gone live in November 2013 and there's no sign of it," said Marian Shinn.

Joyce Moloi-Moropa, chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications said: "There is a dark cloud hanging over the SABC. Everytime everyone talks SABC that cloud hangs on top there. It is upon the SABC itself to clear that cloud".

"If the SABC doesn't take it upon itself to remove that cloud, surely it will remain a cloud that will be permanently over it. We do need a very credible SABC in the country. We appeal to the SABC to undergo a self-cleansing process whereby it becomes credible".

Faith Muthambi, South Africa's new minister of communications said "the SABC has been plagued by a myriad of problems in the past and currently" and that "the SABC remains dysfunctional and requires urgent attention from me".