President Jacob Zuma said on Monday he has received‚ and accepted‚ the resignation of South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chairperson‚ Professor Mbulaheni Obert Maguvhe.
“The President has thanked Professor Maguvhe for his services during his tenure at the SABC and wished him all the best for his future endeavours‚” read a statement from the presidency.
Maguvhe‚ until now the sole remaining member of the board‚ last week defended the board’s decision to appoint the broadcaster’s former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng‚ at a sitting of the parliamentary committee which is currently conducting an inquiry into the board’s fitness.
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.
The parliamentary ad hoc committee on the SABC board inquiry is due to present its report to Parliament on February 28.
Zuma thanks 'Professor Maguvhe for his services' as SABC chair quits under pressure
“The President has thanked Professor Maguvhe for his services during his tenure at the SABC and wished him all the best for his future endeavours‚” read a statement from the presidency.
Maguvhe‚ until now the sole remaining member of the board‚ last week defended the board’s decision to appoint the broadcaster’s former chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng‚ at a sitting of the parliamentary committee which is currently conducting an inquiry into the board’s fitness.
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.
The parliamentary ad hoc committee on the SABC board inquiry is due to present its report to Parliament on February 28.
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