SABC group CEO advocate Dali Mpofu has been accused by the SABC board of overseeing massive financial mismanagement, ignoring the board, losing valuable broadcasting rights - and having the cheek to challenge the board in court.
At an internal disciplinary hearing, a five-page charge sheet outlines the board's case. Some of the charges relate to matters that are two years old, while others are not dated.
On Monday night Mpofu confirmed that he had seen the charges, saying: "It's kind of rubbish, really."
He intends challenging his suspension in court again. He says charges from older incidents - under a different board - were not raised with him at the time.
A statement on behalf of the board and chairperson Kanyi Mkonza said: "1. The SABC is engaged in an internal process.
"2. The allegations and in-ternal process are a matter between the SABC and the GCEO and it is not appropriate that these matters be dealt with in the public domain."
The board alleges that Mpofu:
- Submitted an inadequate budget, late, which assumed a 20 percent increase in licence revenue and a 20 percent increase in staff payments without explaining either.
- Failed to provide an audit of funds from the government.
- Wanted the SABC to borrow up to R300-million.
- Spent R144-million between April 2006 and March this year without contracts;
- Signed a R330-million contract with Siemens in September 2006 without following procedure or having authority, and paid R7-million before signing the contract.
- Ignored board resolutions, such as instructions to fill key top management posts.
- Failed to secure broadcasting rights to events like the Cricket World Cup.
- Suspended head of news Snuki Zikalala without consulting the board, and contrary to policy.
- Failed to stop lawyers who allegedly defrauded the SABC from continuing to get work from it.
- Paid bonuses to staff for the 2006/7 financial year without doing performance assessments.
- Undermined the SABC by repeatedly making statements disrespectful of the board and "under oath in the high court proceedings challenging his suspension".
The board suspended Mpofu on Wednesday for the third time.
The resolution from that meeting records that the board had set up a committee to probe allegations of Mpofu's "misconduct, incapacity and incompatibility", suspended him immediately and reappointed Gab Mampone as acting GCEO.