SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Johannesburg - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it welcomes the recent ruling of the high court to dismiss former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s application for leave to appeal the court’s decision to pay back the MultiChoice deal money which Motsoeneng gained “unlawfully”.
This comes after the High Court of South Africa: Gauteng Division on Friday ruled that Motsoeneng’s leave to appeal be dismissed with costs, with the former COO ordered to pay the public broadcaster R11 508 549.12 awarded to him as a success fee over the controversial deal involving MultiChoice. The fee calculated from September 13, 2016, to the date of payment was ordered with interest.
According to the SIU, this comes after the court in December 2021 declared that the August 19, 2016, decision by the then SABC board to pay Motsoeneng a success fee of more than R11.5 million for successfully negotiating and winning the MultiChoice deal, which gave MultiChoice access to the SABC’s iconic archives. The court ruled that this deal was unlawful and invalid and has in the past been criticised.
SIU head of communication and former SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the SIU and the SABC had approached the court to review and set aside a decision by the board to pay Motsoeneng the success fee and recover financial losses incurred by the broadcaster.
“The court action was informed by the SIU investigation in the affairs of the SABC, which revealed that the SABC irregularly paid monies to individuals and entered into contracts to the detriment of the public broadcaster,” Kganyago said.
The Star