SOS Coalition says Commission of Inquiry's report into SABC editorial meddling doesn't go far enough while former bosses 'Jimmy Matthews and Hlaudi Motsoeneng continue to live as symbols of South Africa's culture of impunity'.

After the release of the Commission of Inquiry's report into SABC editorial meddling on Monday, the SOS Coalition says that it doesn't go far enough - especially not in the public's calls for full accountability - while former abusive SABC bosses "Jimmy Matthews and Hlaudi Motsoeneng continue to live as symbols of South Africa's persistent culture of impunity".

On Monday the Commission of Inquiry into editorial interference at South Africa's public broadcaster reported that it found that the "spectre of the ANC hovered over the newsroom", that ministerial interference into the newsroom of the SABC took place, and found 'bullying and trauma" and a "work environment crippled with fear, anxiety, resentment and tensions".

"The SOS Support Public Broadcasting Coalition welcomes the release of the long-awaited report of the Commission of Inquiry into interference in the decision-making in the newsroom of the SABC" the SOS Coalition said on Monday in a statement.

"The task before the Commission was a mammoth one and indeed, while the 66-page report offers a glimpse into some of the most egregious abuses of power against journalists and the South African public, the flagrant violations of our laws and complete disregard of our constitutional values by the erstwhile leaders of the SABC, it does not fully satisfy the public’s calls for full accountability."

"Questions remain around the roles of the previous leadership who were key to the destruction of the integrity of the SABC. Key people mentioned in the commission, like Jimmy Matthews and Hlaudi Motsoeneng, have refused to participate in the inquiry and continue to live as symbols of South Africa’s persistent culture of impunity," the SOS Coalition said.

"While the Coalition acknowledges that the inquiry could not have reasonably been expected to unpack the true depth and extent of editorial interference at the SABC from 2012 to date, we do hope that the SABC will be emboldened to pull on the threads that have been laid bare and pursue justice through disciplinary, legal or criminal processes for the many journalists and the South African public who have been affected by the degradation of values at our public broadcaster."

"Going forward, we would like to see the recommendations be given thorough consideration and we hope that this report will provide a stepping stone for more in-depth investigations that will help us understand the root of this malfeasance and how it was allowed to persist for so long," the SOS Coalition said.

"Investigations into interference in the newsroom, although welcomed, is yet still only one pillar within the SABC. There has been a devastating effect on the entire corporation and we urge those investigations continue and an accountable process follows."

"We call on the leaders of the SABC to begin the work of ensuring accountability and rebuilding
our public broadcaster into an institution that the South African public can trust once again," the public pressure group said.


ALSO READ: Commission of inquiry into editorial interference at South Africa's public broadcaster finds 'spectre of the ANC hovered over the newsroom', ministerial interference; 'bullying and trauma' and 'work environment crippled with fear, anxiety, resentment and tensions'. 
ALSO READ: After release of Commission of Inquiry's report into SABC editorial meddling the South African National Editor's Forum urges 'new custodians of the SABC newsroom to safeguard' it from future interference. 
ALSO READ: 'Be fast or I will fire you, I will really fire you': South Africa's former communications minister, Faith Muthambi, faces criminal charges after release of the report of the SABC's Commission of Inquiry into editorial interference and abuse at the public broadcaster. 

Democratic Alliance reveals explosive transcript of 'clandestine' SABC meeting where then MultiChoice CEO Imtiaz Patel allegedly says DStv would pay SABC to support change to the government's digital TV in favour of MultiChoice.

The Democratic Alliance's member of parliament Phumzile Van Damme has revealed an explosive transcript of what it calls a "clandestine" SABC meeting on 6 June 2013 - suggesting that the pay-TV operator MultiChoice sought to pay the SABC R100 million for its 24-hour SABC News (DStv 404) channel in exchange for the SABC's influence to change South Africa's digital terrestrial TV process in favour of MultiChoice.

Phumzile Van Damme says the minutes form part of hundreds of documents provided by the SABC in December 2016 to the ad hoc committee on the SABC inquiry.

According to the DA, the transcript of the SABC meeting support allegations in media reports last week that MultiChoice paid the controversial Gupta family millions of rand for its highly-criticised ANN7 (DStv 405) channel on DStv, in exchange for similar influence over the government's position on set-top boxes (STBs).

The release of the meeting's transcript awkwardly comes on the day that Naspers, MultiChoice's parent company, is releasing its interim results, with Naspers chairperson Koos Bekker who has not yet come out publicly to announce any possible investigation by Naspers into the flurry of allegations.

MultiChoice is the latest company to be caught up in the messy dealings of the now-notorious Gupta family embroiled in allegations of State Capture in South Africa.

According to the DA political party, the SABC minutes reveal a "clandestine" meeting attended by the former SABC board members and executives, including the nowdisgraced Ellen Tshabalala, the controversial and shamed Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Lulama Mokhobo who quit as SABC CEO, and Jimi Matthews who eventually quit as acting SABC CEO, with the then CEO of MultiChoice, Imtiaz Patel.

Imtiaz Patel is at pains during the meeting to explain that MultiChoice doesn't ordinarily pay TV stations for their news channels to be carried on DStv, but that he would be able to convice the MultiChoice board to pay for the SABC's SABC News channel, if a set of "deal breaker conditions" in MultiChoice's favour were met.

During the meeting Imtiaz Patel tells the SABC:

“We would not normally pay for a news channel. Okay. We don’t. There’s a unique relationship with e.tv that everybody espouses etc. It’s got unique conditions. They’re supposed to supply us with many more channels and it’s quite tricky at this point in time. But, besides that we don’t pay for any other news channel, anyway, Okay.”

Imtiaz Patel goes on to say:

“…we need to justify to our Board to say why would we pay you R100 million a year which is a lot of money. Okay. It’s after tax money. To make R100m net you have to make R150m or R200m, R300m in turnover. We are looking for the excuse and the excuse for us is to be able to justify to our Board that you are giving us something in return. 

What are you giving us in return for the R100m? We’re saying you giving us a news channel, you’re giving us a general entertainment channel from your archives, your old, you know. We are less focused on the core elements of it being new content. And we’ve been sort of quite open about it with Lulama, saying even if it’s old stock. 

And thirdly, we are saying we also need to justify this problem of conditional access [unencrypted set-top boxes] is a big problem. And in order to justify that we’re saying in addition to that, your additional channels will be available on our platform.”

Imtiaz Patel also says:

So, in addition to the R100m in cash, you will be getting a lot of advertising revenue, probably the equivalent, even more, I don’t know, I don’t know the details, I don’t know to what extent, you know, given that kind of base, how much you can monetise it. 

In return, we can justify to our Board that, we are paying this extraordinary sum of money but we are getting something for it. That was the simple logic that we applied in our own minds. So I’m giving you a sense and therefore I’m hoping that if we can co-create a solution, we are also happy to co-create a solution. 

We are not coming here saying this is, you know, this is the be all and end all, you know. But I must say though, Lulama, that this is the very important point for us. It’s a deal breaker point, I’ll be honest. And I have re-iterated it. I have said this to you before. 


The DA in a statement about the meeting's transcript says that "the implications of MultiChoice paying kickbacks in order to not solidify its dominance in the pay-TV sector, but also secure influence over government policy in its favour, are serious".

"It speaks to a company willing to stop at nothing, including paying kickbacks to the Gupta family, thus supporting State Capture, in order to get its way".

The DA in its statement says that "while companies should be allowed the space to conduct business in a free market system, there must be adherence to business ethics and the law."

"This matter, and in particular the payments, now require thorough investigation by the South African broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa). The DA has written to Icasa requesting an investigation," says the party.

"The DA had hoped that following media reports about ANN7 last week, MultiChoice would take the opportunity to play open cards by revealing all."

"It refused to do so. It is now left to Icasa to reveal the truth."

MultiChoice in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus seeking comment from the company after the Democratic Alliance meeting and transcript release, says: "“This was not a clandestine meeting. No kickbacks were paid. This was part of a negotiation meeting with the SABC. The final decision on this proposal lay with the SABC board".

The SABC has also been approached for comment about the DA party's statement and the transcript of the SABC meeting, and the public broadcaster's reaction will be added here when received.


Other fascinating titbits from the transcript reveals:

- According to the transcript, Lulama Mokhobo is clearly on such friendly terms that she uses the nickname "Imi" for Imtiaz Patel in the meeting, instead of his full name.

- Nolo Letele, MultiChoice South Africa chairperson, also attended the meeting.

- The then SABC chairperson Ellen Tshabalala tells MultiChoice: "Since you have presented this condition [unencrypted access], if you can just give a day for us to bounce it to the minister of communications, because we have an unclear position on the matter':

- Then MultiChoice CEO Imtiaz Patel reveals that MultiChoice and the SABC previously wanted to do an agreement in terms of Olympic Games broadcast coverage: "'Unfortunately your previous board, its easy to ... we can rubbish them now, they’re gone. But they didn't sign the agreement unfortunately".

- The then SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo is clearly hungering after the premium type pay-TV channel content for the SABC that is available to DStv's pay-TV subscribers. 

She tells Imtiaz Patel: "It will be good for us to get PBS [public broadcasting system] type content, something like the History Channel, Discovery Channel - those kinds of channels, the ones that really talk to us". 

- Jimi Matthews to MultiChoice deadpans on getting the SABC News channel up and running: "I engage with the bureaucracy of this place [SABC]'.

The then SABC CEO Lulama Mokhobo then responds: "Oh, Jimmy."

- The then SABC chairperson Ellen Tshabalala: "I want to request that we keep this matter confidential" and says: "We know how print media reacts to this kind of thing".

Minute of the Meeting Between the SABC MultiChoice 6 June 2013 by Thinus on Scribd

SABC lazy or just incompetent? Literally WEEKS after Jimi Matthews quit immediately in disgust, SABC TV News still runs his name nightly as the head of news.

It's utter laziness or incompetence or both - coupled with an attitude of nobody who apparently really cares or takes any responsibility - as the beleaguered SABC's shoddy SABC TV news still runs, shows and includes Jimi Matthews name hilariously - horribly - two weeks after he immediately quit and left the public broadcaster.

Literally nobody at the SABC, not even Hlaudi Motsoeneng or James Aguma, either watches its own SABC TV news product output, or cares - or is apparently in any position to do anything about, or bothers to take any responsibility for it.

If anyone did - believe me - the name of Jimi Matthews would have disappeared and have been replaced not days, but weeks, ago.

On Friday evening, at the end of the second work week after Jimi Matthews left the SABC, the we-don't-seem-to-care public broadcaster still heartily ran Jimi Matthews' name at the end in credit rolls.

Mind-boggling but no longer really a surprise when it comes to the SABC and SABC News.

While the SABC, horrifyingly incompetent, keeps running the name of Jimi Matthews as its "group head of news and actuality" every single night in the credit roll of its TV news bulletins, a full two weeks after he resigned last Monday, keep in mind also that he left the SABC immediately and in a bad way where he was the acting CEO.

Jimi Matthews left without any notice period, or payout negotiations or severance package talks. It's not like the SABC has to keep his name in anything like its daily TV news bulletins because he's still supposed to work until the end of a month. He is gone. Immediately and permanently.

How little the SABC staff that's left at the crisis-riddled public broadcaster, either care or has in competence to ensure that basic things that is broadcast is actually correct, is blatantly evident in eye-rolling lapses things like this.

It's also not just Jimi Matthews.

Let's take just another example - although I see many.

The high-ranking TV executive Jacqueline Setai has dumped and left the SABC months ago and is now a commissioning editor at Media24 for the VIA (DStv 147) female entertainment TV on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

Yet programme after programme after programme across SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 still runs her name as the SABC's head of entertainment genre television.

It's excruciatingly embarrassing (but of course not to the SABC where nobody appears to care at all) to see Jacqueline Setai's name run (the last time viewers would have seen it was also on Friday night) at the end of Noot vir Noot on SABC2.

To add to the embarrassment, Jacqueline Setai's name was shown on the SABC and SABC2's Noot vir Noot at the same time as her name flashed on VIA on Friday night as a commissioning editor for that channel.

It's incomprehensible that the SABC doesn't take more care with its on-air visuals and TV-trash like this makes the public broadcaster read like the hilariously wrong, badly translated "instructions" leaflets you get from cheap and badly made Chinese imported products.

Whose responsibility is it at the SABC to check the very basic accuracy of actually video content (that includes things like credit rolls)? And why are these people not doing their jobs?

And why are the people above them who has overall responsibility apparently as slack in monitoring and caring as well?

Where are the marketing people, gaggle of supposed publicists for shows, channels and departments, and the actual TV executives who are supposed to watch their own shows and its playout to monitor and to ensure your actual service and shows are adjusted and conform to the highest possible standards and accuracy?

How are people supposed to trust SABC TV news if weeks after Jimi Matthews left your employ in disgust, you still happily roll him name as being part of your news division and news broadcast?

If you don't even watch your own news for accuracy in terms of what you display, how does it affect what's left of your credibility?

And what are you indirectly, directly telling your viewers in terms of how much (or actually how little) you value the integrity, correctness and quality of your content?

TV is a visual medium. If you don't understand why - when something basic is wrong like showing names of people on your programmes who are working for you - is damaging to your brand, all you need to do is go on a basic TV production or marketing or on-air visual literacy course and the helpful, expert people will be able to tell you.

Why does it take a TV critic having to point out that, uhm, why does the SABC show Jimi Matthews' names every single night, multiple times, instead of the several internal supposed SABC staffers who actually gets paid to adapt and correct and change it?

Watching the SABC roll with fake names night after night after night in programme after programme would be hilarious funny, like watching a kindergarden end of year Christmas concert - the bungling, the ongoing mess yet amateur attempt at often earnest effort - if it wasn't just so really sad and depressing.

This is the public broadcaster - the SABC - something that's supposed to be correct, precise, accurate, honest and a true and great reflection of public broadcasting values.

With Jimi Matthews and Jacqueline Setai gone (and these are just two easily spotted examples of erroneously, shoddily included names who according to the SABC are still there) the SABC shows how a lot of its TV content are none of these things.

SHOCKER. The SABC's hilarious (yet so sad) 'justifications' for censoring SABC TV protest visuals: stray bullets, police cameras, can't show violence that would 'advance the plot'.

The SABC has come up with mind-boggling reasons for why the public broadcaster suddenly decided to censor public protest visuals on SABC TV news, telling the broadcasting regulator that stray bullets might hit journalists, that it can't show violence that would "advance the plot" and that police cameras are present to capture visuals, instead of journalists, anyway.

A public hearing is set for 12:00 today at the Sandton office of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) after Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), the Support Public Broadcasting Coalition and the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) lodged a complaint at Icasa's complaints and compliance committee over the SABC's censorship decision.

Besides a public protest that will also take place, an online petition, "Stop SABC Censorship" has amassed close to 5000 signatures.

In an affidavit responding to the complaint, Jimi Matthews, the SABC's acting CEO, puts forth mind-bending reasons for the SABC's sudden decision that's come in for sharp and near-universal criticism and that makes for hilarious reading if it wasn't such a serious matter.

Jimi Matthews told the regulator that the SABC has a responsibility not to expose its journalists and cameramen to "the dangers of being hit by stray bullet blows or affected by violent actions of protesters as has happened before".

He also says the SABC's journalists don't need to film protest violence, since the South African Police Service (SAPS) has their own cameras and will do so. "Where there are members of the South African Police Service in protests‚ especially violent protests‚ the police have their own photographers and cameras to cover the situations as this conduct is criminal in its nature in terms of the law".

Going even further and using text from the Broadcasting Code signed by broadcasters actually less applicable for news coverage but fictional television like movies and drama series, Jimi Matthews told Icasa that it can't show violence that's not integral to advancing a story's plot.

It's not clear how the SABC knows beforehand how the "plot" of covering an unpredictable and developing news story will unfold.

"The Broadcasting Complaints Commission prohibited the airing of gratuitous violence – that which did not play an integral role in the development of the plot, character or theme of the material," said Jimi Matthews.

The SABC didn't provide any marketing research or other research that was used for its decision; earlier this month in an interview the SABC's controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng said "I don't believe in scientific research".

This past week the SABC came in for scathing criticism for its below-par coverage of the Tshwane unrest,compared to the full-visuals and rolling on-location news coverage that rival TV news channel on DStv, eNCA and ANN7 brought to viewers.

SABC announces yet another new schedule and logo for SABC3 starting from July as it dumps international content from the channel's line-up.

The SABC on Wednesday afternoon at its headquarters in Auckland Park announced yet another new schedule and another new channel logo for its rating-challenged SABC3 channel, eviscerating a large swathe of international shows and replacing it with new unknown local content and older local repeats.

A ranting Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the SABC's controversial chief operating officer (COO) who didn't use a script, once again quickly veered sharply off-message,speaking about a lot of stuff that didn't have anything to do with the new schedule.

The latest new SABC3 schedule, dumping highly rated international content like Survivor, The Amazing Race and Days of Our Lives and coming into effect from July, comes just 4 months after the SABC's controversial chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng in February announced and introduced a TV schedule shake-up for SABC3.

The latest new schedule, yet again moving shows around and removing some of the shows with the highest viewership ratings on the channel, is part of Hlaudi Motsoeneng dramatic makeover of the SABC's three terrestrial TV channels, ordering 90% local content be shown.

Now SABC3 is getting yet another new schedule and some new on-screen talent, with viewers who will once again have to try and find where shows moved to that remain on the schedule, where new shows are scheduled and where repeats are slotted.

The new SABC3 logo that will come into effect from July replaces the previous one that was introduced a year and 10 months ago in August 2014 and that viewers at the time slammed as "ugly" and "unimaginative".

The sweeping change will start with 80% local content on SABC3 from July - the South African Broadcasting Corporation's only commercial TV channel that is supposed to be an income-driver for the channel with a smaller public broadcasting service (PBS) mandate than sister channels SABC1 and SABC2.

While the emphasis on more local TV content is welcomed, academics and TV industry experts say the move is unsustainable long-term, given the size, capacity, skills and money of South Africa's TV biz.

To produce one minute of local content for instance cost a minimum of R5000 and despite promises since October 2014 by Hlaudi Motsoeneng of R600 million made available by the SABC to local producers, this money will not be enough to fill and sustain a 90% local content programming strategy for the three channels without compromising quality and a much higher that usual repeat and rebroadcast frequency.

At the SABC press conference - attended by Hlaudi Motsoeneng, Jimi Matthews (acting SABC CEO), Nomsa Philiso (SABC head of commercial enterprises) and Aisha Mohamed (SABC3 channel head) - Anton Heunis (SABC commercial advisor) said "more local content will stimulate our industry immensely".

SABC staff slammed for sleeping at work, drinking tea
Hlaudi Motsoeneng said "SABC will do what we believe is right for South Africa". "SABC won't be the same. This is a new SABC".

"We have taken a decision. And if I've taken a decision, no turning back. You'll make your own noise.We want to make sure we empower our own people".

"We as SABC we're doing very well. 90% we're doing very well. Reality is, international content isn't doing well for the SABC," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "You must watch SABC3. you will see amazing stuff".

"You don't see youth content on our platform. From 1 November we will have a youth content. We will go to universities and broadcast live in those universities. Not about politics, about the issues that affect young people".

"I was an actor. The changes you see you see is in my blood," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "You don't know that I work with white people. And they like me. I work with everyone".

"You who write bad about us, I think about you every time. I perform well when I have forces that don't support me". Talking in the third person, Hlaudi Motsoeneng said: 'When this man takes the podium, people clap hands".

"People have been playing here at the SABC. Sleeping here. Playing here and drinking tea". He again said that the SABC will introduce a uniform for workers. "We will have uniform at SABC. But not every day. Why other people have uniform?'

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said "I don't know what is prime time. I want prime time to be every hour, every minute". He said the SABC will show all cultural and traditional events. To Anton Heunis he said: "You have your culture. Your boerewors".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng slammed SABC TV news staff. "When you see our own journalists on the news, they're dead. You need more passion". He said: "Why should SABC TV News follow follow print media? Why can't we break news? I don't understand why eNCA on DStv channel 403 is better than SABC News".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said a journalist from Netwerk24 asking why the SABC isn't covering the Tshwane Unrest adequately and what the SABC's stance is on SABC reporters who are unhappy, "is spoiling the party" and that he won't answer her in the press conference.

SABC3 will continue to do lifestyle and entertainment
SABC TV executive Sam Maijang said "SABC3 is where the biggest impact has been to the changes that we've made. The channel continues to speak to local lifestyle and entertainment. This is content for the multicultural South Africa but with a global outlook".

"SABC3 going forward will have no repeats in prime time from July." He said SABC3's daytime line-up has also been "invigorated".

"We've retained some key foreign content blocks. The type of foreign content that will sit on the channel will not necessarily be the same as what has been there". He said "it's a new journey for us. It's unchartered territory for us".

SABC spin doctor Kaizer Kganyago said: "Don't believe the critics. The critics who have never been in broadcasting".

Aisha Mohamed, SABC3 channel head said it was necessary to change the look of the channel after seeing how the channel was being perceived at the moment.

"[It has a] aspirational, multicultural tone. The logo went through a little bit of a restoration. We went from the square logo to a more circular look. We call it a kaleidoscope."

"There is not necessarily one solid colour. And in terms of a kaleidoscope the brand is evolving."


The 2-hour long press conference was broadcast live on SABC News (DStv 404) and was live streamed. You can watch it in its entirety here:

BREAKING. SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng extends 90% local content quota to SABC TV channels, starting with 80% on SABC3 from 1 July.

The SABC's chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng on Tuesday announced a concerted drive to rid the public broadcaster's TV channels of its remaining international content, saying that the 90% local content quota announced for radio will now be extended to its TV channels.

The SABC will start with an 80% local content makeover for SABC3 from 1 July.

The change for SABC3 comes just three months after the SABC in February announced changes for SABC3 and its other two TV channels. It's not clear why the SABC made a big announcement three months ago, only to announce yet another round of wholesale changes at the end of May.

While no SABC3 schedule for July was released, the move looks ominous for viewers who tune in for international content on the SABC's only commercial TV station where long running weekday soaps like The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives are the number one and number three most watched shows on the channel above local fare like Isidingo, High Rollers and Top Billing.

The expected move is also likely to prompt commercial broadcasters like M-Net and e.tv to pounce and snap up popular international fare like Survivor, The Amazing Race and some of the last remaining international series still on the SABC3 schedule that the SABC might be doing away with.

The SABC TV announcement and the 80% local content quota for SABC3 comes comes three weeks after Hlaudi Motsoeneng's edict of 90% needletime for local music on the SABC's radio stations.

In the staged announcement also attended by Jimi Matthews, acting SABC CEO and Verona Duwarkah, the SABC's head of television, the public broadcaster announced new production contracts for new producers to make local TV content for the public broadcaster.

The announcement follows Hlaudi Motsoeneng's announcement earlier this month that the SABC will start an additional four "language-based" TV channels at a cost of R2 billion - R500 million per channel.

The SABC will be adding 27 emerging producers to make new shows for the SABC's TV channels with celebrities like the fired Generations stars Sophie Ndaba and Winnie Mashaba coming back to the public broadcaster as producers, as well as Khanyi Mbau whose hit e.tv talk show Katch It with Khanyi was cancelled.

Verona Duwarkah said SABC3 could even see 100% local content in the future.

"At the moment the talent that we introduced today is for the current channels largely for SABC3 because that is where we want to revamp the schedule to more local content. Half the schedule is about local content already".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said: "The team that I work with, they should walk like me and talk like me - that is what I am expecting from them".

"That is how I run the organisation, because we need to sing one song at the SABC and that song should be sung by everybody within the organisation. And we're not apologetic about it."

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said: "We have given instructions. The how is not my business. From July 1 we should see a different SABC. I think it's achievable. We are going to get rid of content that is no longer working for SABC3. There is no way that it can't happen, it's happening".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng approves shows himself to help cut through SABC backlog.

"When you come to me I will respond now. If you impress me it's 'yes'. If not, it's 'no' and you should know not to come back," Hlaudi Motsoeneng said.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng told producers that "I'm also aware some of people are taking chance. You need to give us quality content.You need to give us content that we able to attract an audience. And if we don't attract audience there's no reason why we should keep such content on our platform."

"Make sure when you do business with us, you give us quality. But it's also important that you have Venda dramas, soapies and so on and so on. Afrikaans also. And other different languages."

"When we think, we think about English. When we talk we talk English. I don't understand why most people will write dramas and soapies in English. But I think we have to be proud about our own African languages."

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng in his purple suit in parliament basks in glowing praise from other SABC executives and the SABC board.

Parliament on Tuesday felt like the old, aristocratic French court of yore and the excessive fawning one sees during a North Korean inspection tour, when SABC executive after SABC executive lavished glowing praise, in front of him, on their magnificent SABC boss, Hlaudi Motsoeneng,

The SABC's famously matricless chief operating officer (COO), dressed in his often-seen royal purple suit, was praised in parliament by his fellow SABC executives for reducing costs, building "strategic partnerships", his wonderful sense of fashion and even just his personality.

"Thanks to Hlaudi, [the SABC] was able to reduce the costs by about $2 million [for sports rights], said James Aguma, SABC chief financial officer (CFO).

"In this area of sports rights it is the individuals who negotiate for these rights, that determine whether you're going to make a saving or not. We battled for some time to negotiate but however in this area it's a personality issue".

"We've asked Treasury to give us funds [to cover local elections], we've not got them. Luckily the COO has managed to get us about R15 million from strategic partnerships," said James Aguma.

SABC board member Dr. Aaron Tshidzumba, said "we had officials talking about the skill of our COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng. He comes in handy on his negotiation skills."

"Last year we were left with two days to be closed out on the CAF [soccer broadcasting] deal because the private industry was bidding higher. He was on suspension ["voluntary leave"] at that time. When he came back, within two days, he even got less $2 million, which is R32 million [to close the deal]," said Dr. Aaron Tshidzumba.

The SABC's head of news Jimi Matthews, and current acting SABC CEO, likewise fawned over Hlaudi Motsoeneng, even complementing him in parliament on his fashion sense.

"It has to do with personality. It has to do with determination. Sometimes I think it has to do with the way you dress," he said, as Hlaudi Motsoeneng laughed with appreciation.

"But it has to do a lot with personality, and I think that's the one thing that has impressed us," said Jimi Matthews.

"So when different executives or staff members at the SABC talk about the persuasive qualities of Hlaudi Motsoeneng it's not a thumb-suck or far-fetched. We have a very good working relationship with the trade unions for instance for the same reason," said Jimi Matthews.

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng doesn't like the words 'state capturing'; says 'I don't want to use this 'capturing'. I don't think it is a South African word'.

The SABC’s controversial boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng told the public broadcaster's head of news and acting CEO that he doesn't like the word "state capture".

At the latest SABC breakfast briefing on Wednesday broadcast on SABC2's Morning Live done in conjunction with the Gupta-owned newspaper The New Age in Johannesburg, Hlaudi Motsoeneng who is a perennial panelist, once again raised eyebrows with his comments.

The topic of the breakfast briefing discussion was "state capture".

The term that rose to prominence in the news the last few weeks following multiple allegations of impropriety around the influential Gupta family's political ties and business dealings with high-ranking current and former government officials and also implicating president Jacob Zuma.

"There is no way anyone can capture Hlaudi," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng who reportedly has close ties with president Zuma and who is embroiled in an ongoing and protracted court case regarding his appointment as chief operating officer (COO) at the SABC.

The Public Protector in February 2014 released a scathing report directly implicating the famously matricless Motsoeneng in several instances of maladministration .

The Public Protector's report said Hlaudi Motsoeneng showed "a lack of ethical conduct" and noted that he should never have been appointed at the SABC, that his appointment was irregular, and that he admitted in a recorded interview that he lied about having a matric certificate.

"I have my own ethics and morale. And I influence myself. I don't influence by other people," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng on Wednesday, who just returned from a business trip to India, to laughter at the breakfast briefing. "People know, Hlaudi is Hlaudi".

"When it comes to the Guptas, they have approached me several times looking for partnership. Like other business people. I said, 'no'. In this one, it's no".

"There's no way that anyone can capture. And when we decide on business, example, I don't decide whether it's Gupta; whether the son of the president is part. What we check is whether they meet the requirements".

'I don’t want to use this capturing'

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said he doesn't like the term "state capture", looking for where Jimi Matthews, the SABC's head of news and latest acting SABC CEO is.

"You see, Jimi …where are you now? I don't want to use this 'capturing'. I don’t think it is a South African word".

"People that I work with, they know, you can't influence me. What I'm just saying is people need to have ethics and morale."

"But you know, if you know your job, you won't be influenced by individuals. Because it is not a favour. You deserve. And if you deserve, you will stand for what you believe in," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

'Appreciate the ruling party'

"There is this view among certain people, white people, in this case, who believe that if you're a black man you can't run a big company. And we need to deal with these issues. And as long as you are a black man, you can't run the country. As long as you don't have those qualifications – because even black people they are now using qualifications. It's different babba," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"If you are a leader, it's different from having the qualification and leading. Those are two different animals".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said "people need to appreciate the role of the ruling party. And I'm not representing the ruling party but I take offense when someone criticise people who fought, including some of the liberations movement, PAC and others, they fought for this country."

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said: "I don't want to sit here where people are criticising the democratical people who are elected. And actually we should leave politicians to debate in parliament".

BREAKING. SABC CEO Frans Matlala abrutptly suspended after just 4 months on the job pending an investigation; SABC top management basically gutted.

Top management instability and scandal continues to rock the SABC with the beleaguered South African public broadcaster that has suspended the new SABC CEO Frans Matlala with immediate effect pending an investigation that the SABC doesn't want to talk about.

The SABC's acting chief operating officer (COO) and head of news Jimi Matthews is now taking over as acting CEO.

Jimi Matthews who himself was accused of assault charges earlier this year was already standing in for the embattled and highly controversial and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng who is facing a disciplinary hearing and went on "extended leave".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng went on "extended leave" following a recent order of the Supreme Court of Appeal, coming more than a year after the February 2014 report from the Public Protector which directly implicated Hlaudi Motsoeneng in abuse of power and maladministration at the SABC.

Frans Matlala took over in July as the umpteenth SABC CEO after several SABC CEO's were fired and resigned in previous years without finishing their contract terms.

Frans Matlala is the SABC's 9th CEO since 2009.

Management and executive instability as well as political interference continue to rock the struggling public broadcaster which reported a loss of R403 million for the latest financial year.

Meanwhile a a long-delayed process has been delayed even further to try and replace just two out of 6 long-vacant positions on the SABC board.

The firing of SABC board members causing some of these vacancies are itself the subject of a legal challenge in the North Gauteng High Court

Meanwhile the process to find replacements for the most "recent" empty seats on the SABC board hasn't even started yet. Besides the two positions of which the replacement process is delayed due to a parliamentary strike, there's 4 further empty SABC board positions.

The SABC top management structure and SABC board is totally gutted: the SABC is now without a CEO and a COO, along with several empty seats on the SABC board, while several other top executive positions at the SABC also remain unfilled.

"The board of the SABC today suspended with immediate effect the group CEO Frans Matlala pending an investigation," is all the embattled SABC managed to put out to the media in a terse statement todayby SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.

"The SABC’s group executive for news and current affairs, Jimi Matthews, will be acting CEO during this time," said the SABC in the statement.

"The organisation will not comment further on this matter, until all processes are finalised," said SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, refusing to say why Frans Matlala was suddenly suspended, further deepening the ongoing management crisis at the SABC.

The SABC remains riddled with top management turn-over and financial problems, personnel unhappiness, accusations of political interference and an unstable SABC board with numerous vacancies.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party was quick to react to the latest chapter of the SABC's ongoing crises, with Phumzile Van Damme, the DA's shadow minister of communications saying in a statement that the suspension of SABC CEO Frans Matlala "was carried out with virtually no reasons provided to parliament and the public".

She called on the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi to "come clean" on the reasons for Frans Matlala's sudden shocking suspension.

She said Faith Muthambi must "urgently provide the reasons for Frans Matlala's suspension and urgently fix the permanent state of chaos in order to restore much lost credibility to the SABC".

'License journalists' says SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng as public broadcaster boss slams SA press as 'lazy' and 'not doing proper work'.

SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng remains adamant that all South African journalists should be licensed, slamming all journalists for being lazy and "not doing proper work".

Hlaudi Motsoeneng said South Africa's print media makes it look as if there's "chaos" where there's "a black person in charge", saying "they portray as if black people can't run big organisations". 

The SABC boss told the audience in the discussion which was televised on SABC2 that president Jacob Zuma's current government can't be blamed for Eskom's load shedding.

Speaking at The New Age newspaper's latest breakfast briefing as a panelist with the topic State of the Media, the SABC's highly controversial and famously matricless chief operating officer (COO) said "our journalists are lazy; they don't do proper work".

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.

"I know Lumko [Mtimde, SABC board member] is sitting there. I'm calling all of them, who believe in me, and them, to make sure that we lobby for journalist to be regulated so that they take accountability," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng on Monday.

'Media needs to be regulated'

"Media also needs to be regulated," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. He also slammed journalism institutions and journalism academics for "poisoning" journalism students.

"At tersiary level. Who are the lecturers? They are wrong people."

"Lecturers at tertiary level is where they poison the mindset of young people. When they lecture all this people who are doing journalism or communication, they mislead them about their own country. Because they have their own views," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "So we need to check who are these lecturers."

"I see young people doing brilliant journalism work all the time. I think, personally, Hlaudi Motsoeneng is highly insulting to any number of brilliant journalism teachers and professors in the room here," said fellow panelist Ferial Haffajee, City Press editor.

Hlaudi: Zoom in for Nkandla

About the controversial Nkandla saga – president Jacob Zuma's over-priced private homestead upgraded with millions of taxpayer money with shoddy work – Hlaudi Motsoeneng said he instructed the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews, to zoom in with the camera to give the right Nkandla perspective.

"There were so many houses there. Long ago. But when the media talk about Nkandla, they portray the whole houses. As if those houses are new. Which is also misleading."

"I have been talking to Jimi there. To say Jimi but why can't you zoom on the new houses where government was involved. Because if you put them together, you are misleading the country."

Panelist and broadcaster Stephen Grootes, columnist and senior political correspondent for Eyewitness News (EWN) said media regulation is dangerous. "People who say they want to regulate have only one thing in mind: They want to control the media and that’s what we have to be aware of."

Stephen Grootes asked Hlaudi Motsoeneng: "Who licenses journalists? When do you remove a license from a journalist? What is a journalist in the first place? Is it someone who sets up a Twitter account called 'I am a Journalist'? Is that person not allowed to go and report? To analyse; report?"

"Is someone, somewhere, Big Brother perhaps, decided that you can't do that anymore because we're going to close your Twitter account because you don't have a licence?"

Media regulation talk 'alarming'

"To Hlaudi Motsoeneng, I find it alarming when a fellow journalist can sit on a panel like this and say 'we' should regulate the media," said Ferial Haffajee.

"The public broadcaster should be a thing that's owned by all of us as the public. When a colleague says we should regulate the media – and that person is the head of the SABC – that is a very difficult thing to hear. Any talk of regulation and a media tribunal is totally unneccesary."

'Some black people are lost'

"Sometimes we have black people, but they are lost where they are," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng talking about transformation, as the audience burst out in laughter.

"I have my own view about black people. Because some of them are black but they are white. Inside. Some white they are white but they are black," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"Most of the time when you read, especially print media. Where there is a black person in charge, for them there is chaos. They portray as if black people can't run big organisations."

"If you come to the Eskom, the issue that is raising about load shedding. Of course load shedding. You can't blame the current government. Example. You need to do your own research," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Riah will talk to SABC

The under siege national police commissioner Riah Phiyega was also in the audience and was asked specially asked by the SABC if she thinks she has been treated fair by the media.

"I will tell my story at some point. And I'm sure the SABC and those who are willing to hear about objective story telling about what happened, would be able to hear my story," after which she turned her head away from the microphone.

SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng slams South African journalism over bad stories and 'propaganda'; says 'sometimes you need a brain'.

At the launch event of the expansion of the SABC News channel's footprint into the rest of Africa the SABC's chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has again took to the podium to slam South African journalism and journalists, threatened that dissenting and disloyal SABC workers will be rooted out, saying that the SABC is doing very well and that the SABC is committed to "positive stories".

As guests drank champagne while the wine flowed at the gold-plated launch event, the controversial Hlaudi Motsoeneng once again berated, bemoaned South African journalists and he said are misleading the country, and said the SABC isn't going to report "propaganda about negative stories".

The SABC was celebrating the expansion of the footprint of the public broadcaster's 24-hour TV news channel SABC News (DStv 404) into the rest of Africa.

SABc News was launched in August 2013 on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform as part of a controversial two channel deal and the SABC's second try at a 24-hour news channel since its first version, SABC News International, folded in March 2010 after three years and a loss of millions of rands.

The SABC's launch event held at Midrand in Johannesburg where the SABC choir sang, was attended by president Jacob Zuma, who was flanked at table 1 by minister of communications, Faith Muthambi and Hlaudi Motsoeneng - all three of whom kept leaning in and chatting excitedly with each other all through the hour and a half long long event.

Other guests spotted included president of the Pan African parliament, Bethel Amadi; acting SABC board chairperson, Prof Mbulaheni Maghuve; the SABC's head of news Jimi Matthews; Veronah Duwarkah, the SABC's group executive in charge of television; Sophie Mokoena, SABC News' foreign news editor, and the few SABC board members who are left following the communication minister's purge of the board earlier this year.

Two weeks after a bizarre speech at the launch of the SABC's rerun channel SABC Encore (DStv 156) on DStv, Hlaudi Motsoeneng once again ran to the podium to deliver another eyebrow-raising speech.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng is currently embroiled in a lengthy court battle after the high court already twice ordered that he be suspended. He is appealing the judgment again.

"SABC, we are different from other media house," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "When we report about the news, we are not apologetic about positive stories."

Then, as he did last year, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, again slammed South African journalism with generalisations.

"Our own journalists, they deal with propaganda. When you go abroad, most journalists they don't write bad about their country. But when you come to South Africa, and some of the African countries, our own journalists talk very bad about their own country," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"They don't educate and inform people. If you read, they are always misleading."

"Sometimes you need brain. It's good to have all those qualifications, but you need brain to think. If you analyse when people write - and those people are having all these diplomas and degrees - I'm going to give you example."

"One of the papers said SABC has hide R500 million. If you analyse that what they mean is the CFO of the SABC has hide R5 million [sic], but if you check the books of the SABC, the reality is when we write off all those policies that are not relevant to the business, technically, the auditor-general they will pitch that equals to R500 million."

"But when people talk it seems as if SABC has really hide money. But these are people who are very educated. I wonder, whether they think before they do, whatever they do. That is misleading the country".

"I still believe we need to report good stories; tell South African stories," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng. "SABC is doing very well, financially. We are stable. People who are just talking about SABC collapsing; they are going to collapse themselves. Not SABC."

"Even within the organisation, some of them are not loyal. But we are going to make sure that we deal with people who are not loyal," warned Hlaudi Motsoeneng of SABC workers who he said is sabotaging the public broadcaster. "We are not going to be apologetic."

"In short, SABC we are going to reflect Africa as Africa. We are not going to come with propaganda about negative stories, people killing each other as if we are killing each other."

"If there's no water in Soweto, if you are a good journalist, you will go to Orlando. There's no water in Orlando. But in Diepkloof, there's water. That is what we call balanced story," said Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

President Jacob Zuma said "we are not saying that the SABC News, channel 404, should ignore problems when they arise in the continent."

"What we are saying is that the public broadcaster should balance whatever stories of mayhem, with stories that also show that while there is disaster in one small corner of the continent, the majority there live a normal life."

"It should be stories that tell the full African story, and not the unbalanced, negative scripts that have become the order of the day for years," said president Zuma.

BREAKING. High Court orders the SABC to give live coverage on SABC2 of the Democratic Alliance political party's federal congress this weekend.

The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has ordered the SABC, which initially refused, to provide live coverage on SABC2 of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) federal congress starting today and taking place in Port Elizabeth this weekend.

The SABC only wanted to give limited coverage of the political party - South Africa's official opposition party - on the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel SABC News (DStv 404) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

The SABC News TV channel has a very small audience compared to SABC2, which means that the SABC was denying public interest, although coverage like this is supposed to be given according to the public broadcaster's own editorial policy.

In 2012, a day before the African National Congress' (ANC) similar congress - that political party's last national elective conference in 2012 in Mangaung - the SABC gave that political party massive live TV coverage on SABC2 and featured coverage on extended Morning Live segments on SABC2.

The SABC wasn't prepared or willing to do the same for the Democratic Alliance party, although the SABC's editorial policy states that the SABC gives full or extended live television and radio coverage to "broadcasting events of national importance".

Earlier the SABC's head of news Jimi Matthews said he is not going to allow the Democratic Alliance to control the platform on which it is broadcast.

Instead of giving the Democratic Alliance live coverage on SABC2, the SABC and SABC2 wanted to stick to its "regular" schedule on Saturday of broadcasting repeats and the lowbrow Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle, and on Sunday more repeats and the American lifestyle show Iyanla Fix My Life.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the DA wants to "dictate to the SABC" what coverage the public broadcaster is supposed to get.

The SABC has been unable to explain how it's fair for the public broadcaster to show one political party's election congress live on the SABC, but not another political party.

While the DA will be electing a new leader at the DA's Congress to replace the outgoing Helen Zille, the SABC told the political party it won't be showing any of it on public television, although the SABC recently gave uninterrupted coverage for the ANC's birthday celebration on 8 January in Cape Town.

The ANC's spokesperson Jackson Mthembu slammed the SABC on Friday in several tweets, calling the SABC "stupid" and a "fool" and saying the SABC's "failure to cover the DA congress on the free-to-air channel is so unfortunate, stupid and has nothing to do with the ANC".

"The DA congress is in the public interest. They are the second biggest party in our country. It's only a fool that will not know that!"

"The more we ANC members are not open about SABC blunders‚ the more we are seen to be working with them," said Jackson Mthembu.

Terry Motau representing the SABC, told the High Court that the live coverage would have financial implications for the SABC, since TV commercials were sold in advance for the timeslots the SABC would be forced to cover the DA congress on SABC2.

"The SABC isn't the only medium where people can get the results," Terry Motau told the court.

Anthony Stein, for the Democratic Alliance, told the High Court that the SABC should long ago have made provision and plans for covering the political party's congress and that "alarm bells should have been ringing" at the SABC in advance if there had been a lack of proper planning and discussion for covering the news event of national importance.

"The SABC is funded by everybody in this country," said Anthony Stein.

Late on Friday Judge Zeenat Carelse in the South Gauteng High Court ruled against the SABC and ordered the public broadcaster to give live TV news coverage on SABC2. The SABC lost the case with costs.

"The SABC conceded before Judge Zeenat Carelse that it had no case, by agreeing to the order sought by the DA," the Democratic Alliance federal executive chairperson James Selfe said in a statement.

"The SABC must act with political impartiality and must not display bias in its live coverage decisions," said James Selfe.

"This is a victory for democracy. Only through live political coverage on free-to-air channels can voters in South Africa make informed political decisions. Live coverage eliminates the potential of editorial influence over political events," said James Selfe.

"The SABC's SABC News channel on DStv requires an expensive subscription, beyond the means of millions of South Africans," said James Selfe.

Live coverage of the Democratic Alliance's federal congress will start today on SABC2 at 10:30 for the opening ceremony. Live coverage on SABC2 will start on Sunday, 10 May, at 13:00 for the announcement of a new DA federal leader.

The media crisis management of the SABC was again basically non-existent during the latest tiff on Thursday and Friday as the SABC's image and reputation was again seriously being dented further.

On Friday and Saturday there was no formal statement from the SABC regarding the issue and the SABC's coverage plans, and on Saturday no notification from the SABC on coverage and no programming advisory from SABC2 on the schedule changes to inform viewers of how the programming line-ups will be changing and what would be showing when.

SABC refuses to give live coverage of the Democratic Alliance's federal congress taking place this weekend, says the DA.

The SABC which initially promised to give some live coverage of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Federal Congress this weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay has gone back on its decision to give any live terrestrial TV coverage on the public broadcaster of the country's official opposition party.

A day before the African National Congress' (ANC) last national elective conference in 2012 in Mangaung, the SABC boldly announced splashy plans, detailing extensive coverage and live crossings of hours of the 4-day event as well as extended Morning Live segments on SABC2 – but has now apparently backtracked on an earlier commitment to do the same for the DA.

There will be coverage of the DA's congress on the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel, SABC News (DStv 404) on MultiChoice’s DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

While the DA will be electing a new leader at the DA's Congress to replace the outgoing Helen Zille, the SABC told the political party it won't be showing any of it on public television, although the SABC recently gave uninterrupted coverage for the ANC's birthday celebration on 8 January in Cape Town.

Ahead of the DA's Congress in Port Elizabeth from tomorrow, there's been no announcement from the SABC regarding any coverage – but the DA is now speaking out.

In a press statement, James Selfe, chairperson of the DA federal council is blasting the SABC, saying the political party learnt on Wednesday that the SABC would not be carrying any of the DA Congress happenings live on free-to-air television in South Africa.

"At this stage, the SABC is unwavering in their decision against agreements for live coverage," says James Selfe.

"It is manifestly in the public interest that a national elective congress of the official opposition in South Africa, representing 4 million votes, receives coverage on the national broadcaster. Both the public interest, and the SABC's own editorial policy, demand that this congress be broadcast to all South Africans, on the national broadcaster”.

The SABC's editorial policy states that the SABC gives full or extended live television and radio coverage to "broadcasting events of national importance".

According to James Selfe, the SABC first agreed to broadcast live for 2 hours on Saturday morning, covering the opening ceremony and the outgoing leader Helen Zille's speech, but that the public broadcaster decided to no longer honour that commitment.

James Selfe said he had a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon with the SABC's head of news, Jimi Matthews but that "the SABC is unwavering in their decision against agreements for live coverage".

"I've spoken to Hlaudi Motsoeneng [the SABC's chief operating officer] and he said he would get back to me Friday," said James Selfe.

"Should the SABC not reconsider this about-turn on live coverage for this DA Federal Congress, the DA will take steps against the SABC which may include approaching the High Court to review their decision," said James Selfe.