SABC board chairman defends decision to appoint Motsoeneng

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board chairman Prof Mbulaheni Maguvhe has defended the board’s decision to appoint the broadcaster’s former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Maguvhe on Tuesday told the parliamentary committee which is currently conducting an inquiry into the board’s fitness‚ that he had voted for Motsoeneng’s appointment.

“If my memory serves me well‚ I voted for‚” he said.

When pressed on why the board took the decision to appoint Motsoeneng despite former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s findings and recommendations‚ Maguvhe said the board was not aware that those recommendations were binding.

“Most of us were not aware that the recommendations by the public protector were binding.

“It was only after the Constitutional Court ruling that they mentioned that they were binding‚” he said.

Madonsela found that Motsoeneng had lied about his matric qualification‚ had increased his salary irregularly from R1.5-million to R2.4-million and had purged employees.

She ruled that a replacement for Motsoeneng should be found within 90 days. But in July 2014 Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi appointed him permanent COO.