Communications minister Yunus Carrim must implement “remedial steps to arrest the perpetual management crisis at the SABC now that its entire management structure is filled with acting appointees”, said Democratic Alliance MP Marian Shinn.
Shinn was reacting to the news, broken by TechCentral on Monday morning, that Mokhobo had reached a settlement with the broadcaster’s board and would leave its employ on 28 February.
Shinn said news of Mokhobo’s exit “clearly illustrates how dysfunctional the SABC has become”.
“Although I am unaware of the specifics of the events leading up to Mokhobo’s resignation it was patently clear that she was intimidated by the acting chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, who wields considerable power, and she could not cope with the exceptional pressures of dealing with a dysfunctional, multibillion-rand corporation”.
“The SABC is without a doubt in a state of crisis and options such as judicial management should be considered,” Shinn said.
She said Carrim should state publicly what measures can be implemented on an interim basis to “arrest the management crisis”.
Mokhobo’s departure should not allow her to escape the possibility of charges of maladministration that may be put to her for what the public protector said in a report was an “abuse of power and improper conduct” in appointments and salary increments for Motsoeneng and compliance and monitoring head Sully Motsweni.
“The details of her settlement agreement must be made public and justified. Mokhobo had three years left of her five-year contract. Her total annual employment package was about R4m,” Shinn said.
“During the past year, the financial state of the SABC again failed to meet the financial performance targets set out in the government guarantee, failed to improve revenue and sponsorship targets and received a disclaimer of opinion — the worst possible finding by the auditor-general. This is not an executive management performance that deserves a golden handshake.” — (c) 2014 NewsCentral Media