Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

The SABC board and its suspended chief executive officer Dali Mpofu should try mediation instead of taking each other to court every time they have a fallout, a judge said yesterday.

Judge Mohamed Jajbhay said in the Johannesburg high court: "Surely there has to be a way to resolve this outside court. I'm even happy to do it out of my jurisdiction."

This comes after Mpofu filed an urgent application against the SABC board after he was suspended for the third time as the broadcaster's group chief executive officer.

Mpofu wants the June 11 meeting that decided to suspend him to be declared unlawful.

He also wants his suspension and the institution of a disciplinary inquiry against him set aside as unlawful.

This is the third time that Mpofu and the board have been to court. Mpofu first went to court to ask for his first suspension, which came a day after he had suspended news chief Snuki Zikalala, to be lifted.

He won, but the board's chairman Khanyi Mkhonza applied for leave to appeal. It was dismissed.

"Where's Ms Mkhonza? Is she here? You all need to sit down as adults, forget your personal differences and resolve this matter," said Judge Jajbhay.

Mpofu said he had suggested mediation from the beginning but was ignored.

"If they agree to mediation, I want my suspension lifted first. I cannot negotiate from a prison cell," Mpofu said.

l The matter was postponed to July 1.