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President Jacob Zuma.
Communications Minister Dina Pule has told the SABC board to start afresh in its quest for a new chief operating officer after criticism that its internal recruitment process had been tailor-made to catapult a staunch supporter of President Jacob Zuma into the job.
Pule asked the board to suspend its process for filling the public broadcaster’s second-most powerful position and to follow “a normal and wider executive recruitment process”, her spokesman, Siya Qoza, said on Tuesday.
Independent Newspapers reported at the weekend that the SABC had decided to advertise the post internally – for only three working days – and had made educational qualifications irrelevant.
It was alleged that the job specifications had been crafted specifically for acting COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng. He has no matric or top managerial experience. And he was implicated in a KPMG probe as having lied about having a matric certificate when he applied for a post at the SABC’s Bloemfontein office a few years ago.
Qoza said Pule became aware on Friday “of the process the SABC intended to follow. The minister immediately requested the board to suspend the current search and to follow a normal and wider appointment process”, he said.
However, board chairman Ben Ngubane was on Sunday still defending the decision to keep the search for a permanent COO internal and said academic qualifications were “secondary”.
Approached for comment on Tuesday, Ngubane referred all queries to the office of the minister.
Pule’s intervention was welcomed by the Save Our SABC coalition. But campaign co-ordinator Kate Skinner said it was worrying that ministerial intervention had once again been necessary to ensure there was due process.
Motsoeneng, who also enjoys the support of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), was a “can-do” person who worked extremely hard and ensured processes begun “reached conclusion”, Skinner said.
“But it is critical to have a fair and open recruitment process.
“The SABC’s been rocked by enough scandals and needs good corporate governance. That means the process needs to be scrupulously fair, and the tone is set from the top.
“It’s worrying the minister has had to step in… The SABC is a public – not a state – broadcaster, which means an arms-length relationship with the minister.
CWU national spokesman Mantankana Mothapo said it had no problem with Pule insisting on a proper recruitment process – but still wanted Motsoeneng for the job.
“Even if (the minister) says the process is not right we still support (Motsoeneng). We believe he is competent. He set up a task team to deal with maladministration…
since he came in (as acting COO) he’s acted on a lot of issues,” Mothapo said. He accused certain SABC board members of “spreading destructive stories” to further their own agendas“.
The DA on Tuesday welcomed Pule’s intervention as “a step in the right direction”. The party had called for Pule to urgently meet the board to interrogate the “highly irregular” recruitment process and to get Motsoeneng “removed from the list of candidates”.
Pule also noted reports on the settlement between the South African Post Office and its outgoing chief executive officer, Motshoanetsi Lefoka. “Public disclosure of the terms at this stage would constitute a breach of this agreement,” he said.
Lefoka was put on leave of absence in October after a probe found “irregular expenditure of R425 million and fruitless expenditure of R19m” relating to the lease of the office complex Ecopoint in Eco Park, Centurion. At the time, her salary topped R2.9m a year. - Political Bureau
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Anonymous, wrote
nic, wrote
Pat, I am baffled by your lack of understanding here. Did you even read the whole article and follow the story for the last 2 days??? Just read the first paragraph again.... and maybe again it seems is necessary The "uselessness" that they tried to appoint is a "staunch Zuma supporter". It was probably under direct orders (or at the very least strong influence) from his office.
nic, wrote
finally someone that shows a bit of common sense. Just a bit... I wonder if he would have intervened if the whole country (or taxlicense paying citizens) did not raise their voices as they did. Also, we would not have know about this if the ANC had their way with the media tribunal. This would have been deemed a "matter of national security". And rightly so... If this type of corrupt corporate governance and processes are allowed to go on our country is well and truly screwed.... Our nations security and future is threatened by corruption such as this.
Precious, wrote
That name sounds very similar to the proposal by Zuma for Chief justice? All unqualified but all still trying for top jobs. The reporting on SABC is very biased and one sided. Try not to watch, it makes me weep.
Sammy, wrote
Pat U need to wake up what s this"pat, wrote 11:06am on 31 January 2012 C'mon IOL, what is this, what kind of news reporting is this? Can you explain to us why you Zuma's picture is doing here? Unless if you guys are back to your old tricks and tendencies that were defeated in Polokwane, where you tried in vain to destroy Zuma's chances to become our president". Well matured person will never speak the way u do... Zuma Is causing Nepotism, Corruption and Alll this Kind of Shame to the ruling party.... Stop Defending Falling Trees
Sammy, wrote
I really dnt know why people goes to school... and why government is funding people for going to universities.. if they employ people with =out matric where as there are people with better qualification who are jobless...Zuma Must Step Down
james, wrote
Deah Sah, I am write this aplictton lettah caus i has passed grd 4th an I hev betta unstan busnis thn otha candits. Plse i ned thes job and i wek very haad all day an all nite fo the pple and the chilrens. There, that should be sufficient to blow the competition out of the water. lolololololol
Anonymous, wrote
@ Pat - Imagine if IOL succeeded at what you are accusing them of? Imagine if Zuma was never made president. We wouldnt be run by a mafia whose only care is their own pockets and how much tax money it takes to fill them all. We may have had a president who had passed basic schooling and his IQ may have been higher than the number of wives we had, what a pity IOL didnt succeed and we thank you for showing Mr Zumas tight lipped face in an article that has its roots in corruption and nepotism, becasue lets face it, he is the casue of all the dishonesty and corruption that has SA smelling the stench and rot of the ANC.
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Sinies, wrote
Shut it down (SABC), leave it to private enterprise and collect the tax, because it will defenitely be generating profit!
anonomous, wrote
No wonder the SABC is in such chaos, no one knows which end is up. For 5 years now I have been handed over, although the licence is in my husbands name. Try and explain this to someone!!! It is a call centre and you can never get through,and if you do, the person the other side cannot be understood or does not understand what you are saying. So chaos reigns once again.
francois, wrote
What the hell is all the fuss abpout?? After all the state president is even less qualified!!
Gadaffi, wrote
Mark, wrote
This appointment would have gone ahead if the media had not broken the story. You can see why they want to silence the media .Chaos will reign
JennyN, wrote
You said it, ZuluGirl - shut the place down. Its a drain on taxpayers and a haven for the incompetent and the corrupt. Of course this article is an attack on zuma - he is the culprit here for shamelessly using his position to place his cronies (many of them - not just this one) into highly paid positions which they are not qualified or competent to perform. This is NEPOTISM - a BAD thing. Get rid of the sabc. No-one will miss it.
jabu, wrote
pat, wrote
C'mon IOL, what is this, what kind of news reporting is this? Can you explain to us why you Zuma's picture is doing here? Unless if you guys are back to your old tricks and tendencies that were defeated in Polokwane, where you tried in vain to destroy Zuma's chances to become our president.
Pat, wrote
What is Zuma's picture doing in this aticle, or is it another attempt by SA Media to try to destroy our president before ANC elections in Mangaung, just like they tried very hard before Polokwane?
pat, wrote
Surely i was one of those that are critical about the soon to be passed information bill, not anymore. I am trying to understand why Zuma's picture is shown here but i'm failing. These are some of the things that make us believe that government has a point in trying to control news reporting through the proposed information bill. IOL is trying to plant a seed in our minds as public that Zuma is the one who instructed the SABC to advertise that post for a man who is perceived to be in his camp, this is totally disgusting to say the least. One would be tempted to think that media is still out to destroy Zuma like they did before he was elected president. If you report about the mistakes that takes place at the presidecy, then we will understand as that's where he is based and most of the things there are done under his instructions, but this one, IOL, you are going too far.
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