The SABC board has moved to suspend CEO Solly Mokoetle, it emerged on Tuesday. The news was revealed soon after the Western Cape high court overruled attempts by parliament to hold a briefing on the latest trouble at the public broadcaster behind closed doors. “They have served him with a legal letter with the intention to suspend him and he has been given an ‘x’ number of days — exactly how many days I don’t know — to respond to the letter to explain why he should not be suspended,” said Ismail Vadi, chairman of parliament’s portfolio committee on communications.
Browsing: Siphiwe Nyanda
Ousted communications department director-general Mamodupi Mohlala looks set for a court date his week after she spurned a second offer from President Jacob Zuma to settle the matter amicably. Communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda fired Mohlala a month ago, saying trust between the two had “broken down irretrievably”.
The seventh episode of SA’s business technology podcast, TalkCentral, is now available for download. This week, your hosts Duncan McLeod and Candice Jones talk about the significant flow of news around MTN’s interim financial results presentation, including plans by its SA subsidiary to build a rural broadband network. We also talk about Cell C’s problems trying to trademark its new logo, communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda’s press conference on digital terrestrial television, Vodacom in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Super 5 Media’s letter to Icasa.
Government remains committed to switching off analogue terrestrial television, and completing the switch to digital broadcasts, by November 2011. But communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda has conceded the deadline may have to be revisited if the country decides to adopt a new standard for digital television. Nyanda was speaking at a press conference in Pretoria, where he announced the new members of the Digital Dzonga advisory council, which will advise government on the country’s planned migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television.
Episode 6 of SA’s business technology podcast, TalkCentral, is now available for download. This week, your hosts Duncan McLeod and Candice Jones reflect on Gareth Knight’s superb Tech4Africa conference. We also talk about Andile Ngcaba’s fibre network roll-out plan, Steve Song and the Mesh Potato project, Justin Spratt’s appointment as managing partner at Quirk eMarketing, the corruption allegations involving department of home affairs officials and Lefatshe Technology, Neotel’s launch of prepaid services
A company owned partly by communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda was given a R20m contract to investigate service delivery protests in Mpumalanga, City Press reported on Sunday. The contract was allegedly awarded to Abalozi Security Risk Advisory Services without following tender rules. An Nyanda family trust is alleged to have a 45% shareholding in Abalozi.
A proposed public broadcasting law will place the SABC under the control of the communications minister and mark a return to the days when the ruling party determined what was aired on television and radio, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday. “It is the final plank in the ANC’s plan, hatched at Polokwane, to ensure that the SABC reflects the values of the ANC,” Zille wrote in her weekly newsletter.
Public protector Thulisile Madonsela has cleared communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda of any misconduct. This followed two investigations into tenders awarded to a company Nyanda is allegedly linked to. “It is our hope that these findings put to rest the string of continued malicious allegations made against the minister by opposition parties with regard to what was perceived to be conflict of interest,” Nyanda’s spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso said on Wednesday evening.
Axed communications department director-general Mamodupi Mohlala has hit back at remarks made by her replacement, Harold Wesso, who alleged in parliament on Tuesday that he had inherited a “sinking ship”. Wesso, who has been installed as acting director-general until a permanent replacement can be found, reportedly told parliamentarians that staff morale at the department had collapsed.
Axed communications director-general Mamodupi Mohlala has acceded to a request by President Jacob Zuma to postpone her legal action against communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda. Contradicting media reports elsewhere on the Web on Friday, Mohlala says she has agreed to the president’s request to postpone her legal application for now and a new court date has been set for 26 August.