Former SABC board chairwoman Khanyi Mkhonza instituted clandestine investigations against the broadcaster's top executives, with her investigative consultants recommending charging the managers and enlisting the police and spies to screen employees who "pose a threat" to the corporation.
The top executives' crime was to protest and side with former group chief executive Dali Mpofu in his legal battles with the board.
But according to the investigations, the executives protested against a national security key point, thus posting a threat to the SABC. Mkhonza commissioned a consultant to conduct a probe into the actions of seven executives.
She wanted them charged for misconduct after they openly called for the removal of her dissolved board and supported Mpofu, who was suspended by the same board.
The Sunday Independent is in possession of the report of the investigations ordered by Mkhonza.
The report gave the green-light for action to be taken against chief people officer Phumelele Ntombela-Nzimande, head of content enterprises Mvuzo Mbebe, head of group strategy and risk Sipho Sithole, general manager for legal services Thabang Mathibe, head of public broadcasting services Thami Ntenteni, acting chief operations officer Charlotte Mampane and SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago.
The report says the conduct by the executive managers involved was disruptive in the operations of the public broadcaster.
"This action by these managers is in contravention of the National Key Point Act application to the corporation. This suggests that these managers are a threat to the SABC as per the provisions of the National Key Point Act," says the report.
"The behaviour of the seven executives to mobilise and defy the board's directive(s) during the suspension of (Mpofu) is serious and tantamount to misconduct. It encourages ordinary employees to mobilise or revolt against the highest competent authority, the board.
"The outcome may be the dysfunctional and ungovernable SABC culminating in the loss of confidence by (the) public in the public broadcaster," the report stated.
"The board may consider inviting the (police) Crime Intelligence (unit) together with the (National Intelligence Agency), to conduct screening of certain employees who may pose a threat to the SABC in terms of the National Key Point Act," the report proposed.
Mkhonza, however, did not act on its main recommendation that the executive managers be subjected to a disciplinary hearing for bringing the institution into disrepute, using SABC property for private purposes, insubordination, picketing, sabotage and defiance of authority.
The report said the executives in question had coalesced over the suspension of Mpofu in May last year.
This was after they first petitioned the board to step down. Subsequent to that, they held a press briefing along with civil society groups demanding that board members step down.
"At the press briefing, Mr Sithole demanded the intervention by the head of state (Thabo Mbeki) in the affairs of the SABC. This demand was made in public and for consumption of the South African citizens and the rest of the world. Again, the SABC's time and resources... cameras, TV crew, were used for this purpose," the report noted.
The executives concerned and some senior managers later marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria and handed a memorandum to Mbeki's office, asking him to fire the board.
While the report recommended that disciplinary action be instituted against all the seven executives concerned, it also cautioned that the board may be challenged by the same managers.
Mkhonza was not available for comment. Her two cellphones were on constant voicemail.
When contacted for comment Kganyago, Sithole, Mampane and Mathibe said they were not aware of the existence of such a report, while Ntombela-Nzimande, Mbebe and Ntenteni could not be reached.