“My Enemies Are After Me”
Former SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng insists that the public broadcaster’s and the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) ongoing bid for him to repay over R2.4 million in “gratitude” money given to music legends during his tenure is a political ploy.
“Look, I have been saying this is more political because I am aware that all these politicians, especially those who are against me if they don’t tarnish my name, I am going to emerge as one of the leaders of South Africa. People are very afraid of me,” Motsoeneng told news channel eNCA.
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“What is more important for me … I don’t regret [and] I don’t apologise. The role of a leader is to stop the suffering of our people, to stop poverty and not talk but by implementing. I did implement and stopped those artists who were dying in hospital who could not even pay for their medicine. I paid for their medicine.”
Motsoeneng, who is known for his outspokenness, is now the leader of the African Content Movement (ACM), which he founded in 2018.
The controversial former chief operations officer of the public broadcaster approved an R50 000 payment to 50 music legends, totaling R2.5 million.
On Wednesday, Motsoeneng insisted that he raised the money privately, outside the public broadcaster.
“I raised the money from a private company. The board knows about that matter. The three directors of the SABC, they know, because when I raised money the person who is accountable for the financials of the SABC is the CFO [chief financial officer]. The CFO confirmed that she did invoice MultiChoice and they received money,” said Motsoeneng.
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He went on to say that the SIU had only spoken to people “who know nothing” about the artists’ funding. The Special Tribunal reserved judgment on Monday in the SABC’s bid to overturn the decision of its former executives to pay the money to the music legends.
William “Mr Everything” Mthethwa represented SA Music Legends, a non-profit organization that is fighting SIU’s attempt to overturn the decision. The SABC wants the money returned to the ten current and former SABC executives.
Gideon Mamabolo, the lawyer for former acting CFO Audrey Raphela, contended that Motsoeneng knowingly misled his colleagues to process the payments. According to the executives, SABC’s lawsuit must be filed within three years, as required by the Companies Act.
The SABC stated in court documents that the gratuitous payments were made from funds raised by Motsoeneng from a lucrative deal with MultiChoice.
The SABC claimed at the time that the decision was by the Broadcasting Act and its policies and that the payments were within the executives’ delegated authority.
Despite his previous deposition, the Special Tribunal has previously heard that Mthethwa had no personal knowledge of the claims made. It also ruled that he had personal knowledge of the facts deposed in his affidavit and made no argument as to why he should be admitted in the matter.
The music legends contended that they would be morally and physically obligated to refund the SABC and that it would be unfair, unjust, and against the public interest to make the money paid to them the responsibility of current and former SABC executives. Judge Lebogang Modiba reserved his decision in the case.
