Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

The SABC and its suspended chief executive Dali Mpofu are racing against time to reach an out-of-court settlement before Tuesday.

Yesterday, the Johannesburg high court postponed a reinstatement case brought against the SABC board to give the two parties a chance to settle the matter through mediation.

If the two parties have not agreed on anything by next Monday, it will be up to the court to rule on the matter, yet again.

"We suggested the postponement because we had agreed to mediation, but whether we will be in court on Tuesday will depend on how the mediation process concludes. Anything can happen," said Mpofu's lawyer, Sandile July.

This is the third time that Mpofu and the board have faced each other in court. This time Mpofu wants his suspension, the third in two months, to be lifted.

He wants the board meeting of June 11 - from which he and two other members were asked to leave before the decision to suspend him was taken - to be declared unlawful.

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

Mpofu and the board have been at loggerheads since he suspended news chief Snuki Zikalala in May.

Mpofu was suspended a day later, but he took the matter to court, demanding that his suspension be lifted. He won. The board appealed the court's decision, but lost.

Last week, Judge Mohamed Jajhbay urged Mpofu and the board to consider mediation.