EDITORIAL: Another clown has bitten the dust
Curtains for Hlaudi
Another clown has bitten the dust. Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s sacking this week as the chief operating officer of the SABC is a sign that all may not be lost in the tragicomedy that has defined SA’s political economy in recent years. In many corporate upheavals, something is lost, as well as gained, when someone is shown the door. In the case of Motsoeneng, there’s no discernible downside to the finding of an SABC disciplinary hearing, which decided this week he had been guilty of misconduct. Motsoeneng has campaigned against a free press, a core tenet of the constitution, and sought to act as a de facto propaganda chief, issuing diktats to censor the news of images harmful to the ruling party, such as service delivery protests. During his tenure the SABC budget ballooned out of control as he dished out extravagant salaries to ensure loyalty and unilaterally imposed new policies, such as the 90% local content rule. The result: internal budgets show the SABC expects to make a R1.1bn loss fo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.