Charges in disciplinary hearing against SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng suddenly reduced to just 3; Hlaudi pleads not guilty as media is shut out of hearing.

The SABC's disciplinary hearing against its chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng has turned into yet another public broadcaster farce with the charges leveled against its highly controversial and famously matricless boss suddenly deleted from the charge sheet from 6 to just 3, to which Hlaudi Motsoeneng pleaded not guilty - while the media got shut out of the proceedings.

The SABC's contentious and bizarre disciplinary hearing of Hlaudi Motsoeneng that suddenly resumed this week after it was "terminated" and "cancelled" last week is losing credibility, transparency and integrity.

It comes as the disciplinary process now suddenly has to be completed by this coming Saturday according to a High Court order (which said it must be done within 60 days), which is not really leaving enough time for due process to be followed.

Already the disciplinary hearing chairperson changed twice: First advocate William Mokhari who abruptly disbanded the disciplinary hearing last week on Thursday saying it would serve no purpose other than being an "academic" exercise - only for the hearing to be re-established and starting again this week with a new chairperson, Willem Johannes (EJ) Edeling.

Already the disciplinary hearing changed prosecutors three times: First labour lawyer Sandile July who was fired after alleged irregularities with the appointment, then Mponyana Ledwaba who abruptly left last week, and now Tumisho Phalane as the 3rd prosecutor to work on the disciplinary hearing.

Tumisho Phalane told the hearing and chairperson on Monday that he doesn't have enough to prepare. Chairperson EJ Edeling said the case must proceed because the process needs to conclude by Saturday at the latest.

On Tuesday the chairperson barred the media from attending the proceedings.

The SABC is also suddenly just going ahead with 3 of the original list of charges against Hlaudi Motsoeneng with no indication of why not more charges are being made from the litany of alleged transgressions contained in the Public Protector's scathing report about Hlaudi Motsoeneng that was made public in February 2014.

The SABC's disciplinary hearing against Hlaudi Motsoeneng has now been dramatically reduced, instead of being expanded, to just allegations of gross dishonesty, gross misconduct and abuse of power.

Among the charges dropped and suddenly gone and deleted from the latest charge sheet include the extensive report from the Public Protector of how Hlaudi Motsoeneng was directly involved in allegedly increasing his ballooning salary several times per year.

Ar R3,784 million per year, Hlaudi Motsoeneng now earns more than president Jacob Zuma.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng pleaded not guilty to all three of the remaining charges in his disciplinary hearing.

On Tuesday Jabulani Mabaso, head of human resources was the first to testify against Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Lorraine Francois, an executive auditor was the second to testify against Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng's disciplinary hearing was supposed to start on 30 October but was abruptly postponed to 1 December.

It was then again postponed to 2 December. It ran for only 2 and 3 December after being "cancelled".

It was then reconvened for an unknown reason and set to start on 7 December. On 7 December is was again postponed to 8 December which became the first real day of the disciplinary hearing.

It now raises serious concerns as to whether a judicious and proper disciplinary hearing can take place given the little time left before Saturday when the period of 60 days - as ordered by the High Court - is reached.

While the SABC had a whole two months to start and conclude proceedings in a disciplinary hearing against Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the public broadcaster pushed it to the very brink, making it likely very difficult to thoroughly have witnesses and others give testimony, for more additional and the original other 3 charges to be brought, and for due process and due diligence to be followed.

All of these things are casting a shadow of Hlaudi Motsoeneng's disciplinary hearing which is continuing today with 2 further witnesses expected to be called.

SABC forced to reinstate Lorraine Francois as chief audit executive after the CMMA finds SABC's actions 'substantively unfair'.

The struggling South African public broadcaster has been forced to reinstate Lorraine Francois as the SABC's chief audit executive after she was suspended in November 2012 with the CCMA saying Lorraine Francois' suspension due to alleged misconduct was "procedurally and substantively unfair".

The SABC failed to prove any allegations of misconduct against Lorraine Francois after she challenged her suspension.

The now-gone former SABC chairperson dr. Ben Ngubane wrote to Lorraine Francois in November 2012 telling her that she was allegedly working against the interests and authority of the SABC board which "negatively impacts" the SABC. Shortly after this she was suspended.

Dr. Ben Ngubane's letter came about after Lorraine Francois as chief audit executive tasked Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo (SNG), an external auditing company, to investigate and compile a report on the SABC's corporate governance operations.

Lorraine Francois tried in vain to meet with dr. Ben Ngubane about the completed report and was then suspended.

Lorraine Francois went to the CCMA which found that her suspension was "procedurally and substaitively unfair" and that the allegations which the SABC made against her were "very vague".

BREAKING. SABC suspends the public broadcaster's chief audit executive, Lorraine Francois.

The SABC has suspended its chief audit executive, Lorraine Francois, but the public broadcaster has not announced the news, nor given any reasons.

The SABC chairperson, dr Ben Ngubane, informed Lorraine Francois by letter that she has allegedly been working against the interest and authority of the SABC board.

I have asked the SABC what the reasons of suspension of Lorraine Francois are but the SABC tells me "this is a matter between employer and employee".

"The SABC can confirm that Lorraine Francois, the chief audit executive, has been suspended. This is a matter between employer and employee. Therefore we are not at liberty to discuss the matter further in the media".