FORMER SABC chief executive Dali Mpofu has refused to accept responsibility for the R800million financial shortfall at the public broadcaster and has defended the R11million settlement he reached with the interim SABC board.

Mpofu was fired by the SABC board last year after he suspended former SABC head of news Snuki Zikalala.

His settlement included R6,7million already paid to him by the previous board and R4,4million as a restraint of trade which would be paid by the Department of Communications as a shareholder on behalf of government.

During an interview with SAfm yesterday, Mpofu rejected a Mail & Guardian report blaming him for the public broadcaster's financial woes.

The report said "where his predecessor Peter Matlare ran a tight fiscal ship, on Mpofu's watch costs spiralled out of control".

It also said costs at the SABC increased by 63percent from R3,5billion in 2005/6 the year Mpofu took over.

"That report is rubbish. But I don't want to talk too much about the Mail & Guardian report because it is a subject of investigation by my lawyers," Mpofu said during the interview.

Mpofu also boasted that his record at the SABC spoke for itself

"I have never reported a loss in this company. In my three reports, the average profit was 80percent."

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the SABC agreed to the payout because it sought to stabilise the public broadcaster.

Kganyago has also said that according to the Public Finance Management Act, should Mpofu be found responsible for the corporation's financial losses, they would take action against him.

A team from the Auditor-General's office has been dispatched to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement at the corporation.

SABC workers' unions have submitted a list of allegations against the SABC management, including Mpofu.

He has made a commitment to cooperate with the investigation.