'Chairperson, I was the main man' - seven hilarious quotes from Hlaudi's state capture testimony

Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng was in the hot seat on Tuesday as he testified before the state capture commission.

Motsoeneng was quizzed on the state of the SABC during his tenure as one of its leading executives, his relationship with the Gupta family as well as his lack of educational qualifications. He disputed reports that he had lied about his educational background.

On social media, many were amused by his responses, with one user saying, “Hlaudi is having fun there at the Zondo commission”. Here are seven hilarious quotes from his testimony:

Wits lecturer 

“I lecture at universities. Even at Wits Business School, I lecture and my lectures about my leadership, they have turned them as part of their syllabus.”

Gupta curry and visits 

“We enjoy curry there, big time chairperson, together. I was acting as the GCOO [group chief operations officer]. It was part of the handover. I said to her [Lulama Mokhobo], 'look, compliance informed me there is this relationship between The New Age and SABC, but we as SABC are not complying because there is no memorandum of understanding on this matter.”

Hired regardless of matric

“In 1995, I was head hunted by head of news who said, 'You are so talented and I don't need matric from you, because I have seen your contribution when you were freelancing.' Before I joined SABC permanently, chairperson, they took me to a course, to go and learn about broadcasting. Normally, SABC does not train a freelancer. It has never happened in the history of SABC, I am the first person.”

I will beat you with your degree

“I used to say 'Me, I will beat you. I'm not afraid of your qualifications because I think I am capable. I have a vision, I have a plan' and, chairperson, I have won many awards from within the SABC, and outside.”

Chairperson, I am skilled

“In my view chairperson, I am very educated. If you check all the minutes of the SABC, you will see 70% of the resolution of the board, I'm the main man, influencing the decisions at the SABC. That shows that I am capable, I have skills.”

I was the main man

“If they advertised the job, chairperson, don't you think they would get someone who is better than Hlaudi? I can tell you, in the SABC, no one was better than me, even if they advertised it. I train doctors at the SABC, I train lawyers. I ask, 'What do you know'? Theory. People know theory.”

Talent dominates at SABC

“There are many people at the SABC that don't have matric. Actually at SABC, chairperson, you also look at talent. If you're not a singer, you're not a singer, broadcasting is talent. We used to argue these issues to say look, we're not Eskom, let us look at talent. People who are acting, your soapies and dramas, some of them they don't have matric. I think even the judges, they watch these people and they are so excited.”