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Flip Buys, chairman of the Solidarity Movement, today said Hlaudi Motsoeneng should be dismissed immediately for the sake of the national broadcaster. This followed after the controversial leader of the SABC had been increasingly using the national broadcaster as a personal mouthpiece to drive his own political agenda.

According to Buys, the SABC led by Motsoeneng and the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, has been reduced to an ANC-controlled state broadcaster and the dismissal of Motsoeneng would be the first step towards achieving its original purpose of public broadcaster. “It is clear that the ANC and the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, view the SABC as state property and have been carrying out a hostile takeover of the public broadcaster for a long time. This can be seen in the Broadcasting Amendment Bill, which places the public broadcaster totally under the control of the president and the minister,” Buys explained.

According to Buys, mismanagement and corruption are rampant under the leadership of Muthambi and Motsoeneng. “In addition to the finding that Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s appointment was irregular and that he lied about his qualifications, it was found that millions of rands are misspent every year and the SABC has been technically bankrupt for more than a decade,” Buys said.

According to Buys, the situation at the SABC recently deteriorated drastically with the storms raging over the head of Motsoeneng with his autocratic style and policy of censure. But it is clear that the crisis extends deeper than just the activist head of the SABC. “The events are simply a reflection of a fundamental view of the governing party that control over the public media is an inseparable part of the party’s control over the country. This view is firmly entrenched in legislation, policy and key appointments at the broadcaster,” Buys explained.

Buys added that the etatisation (state control) of the public media is increasingly contributing to the independent community media still being an inseparable part of the media environment.

Issued by Solidarity