'ANC is hypocritical in the Hlaudi Motsoaneng saga'

Date: 21 July 2016   Read: 12691

The ANC is hypocritical when it demands that the powers of the SABC’s Chief Operational Officer Hlaudi Motsoaneng be investigated by the minister.

Why not investigate if Mr Motsoaneng has overlapped his powers when he tampered with the corporation’s editorial policies, rather than investigate his powers? Launching an investigation into his power amounts to suggesting that the COO doesn’t understand his power and also creates the perception that the Minister of Communication too, doesn't understand the corporation’s policies.

Minister of Communication, Faith Muthambi, has undermined the Public Protector’s recommendation that Motsoaneng's appointment as acting COO be nullified due to a qualifications misrepresentation. Rather the minister appointed him permanently, subsequently to the Protector's
investigation.

It is opportunistic for the ANC to demand that Muthambi, who is the number one fan of the embattled Motsoaneng, investigate her partner for holding the SABC’s reputation at ransom. There is no way that anointed persons who serve the interests of Number One, who also serve the interests of the Dubai empire, can be reprimanded under the political status quo. The ANC is repeating its gimmicks it has done during #Feesmustfall, where Secretary General Gwede Mantashe appealed to all citizens to march against the state at the Union Building. This was after the ANC realised that the protest was gaining momentum. Now that Hlaudi has crossed the red tape the party is doing its shameless gimmicks again.

Where was the ANC when the violence in Tshwane was banned from the airways? Where was the ANC when Hlaudi blocked SABC anchor Vuyo Mvoko to do a live coverage on the Guptas’ state capturing?

The crisis in the SABC serves the interests of the ANC, hence it is now panicking on its likely performance in the upcoming local elections. We shouldn’t forget the Tlokwe municipality story where the ousted mayor refused to vacate the office and hand over keys for several days. Similar things happened in the Karoo where ANC-led coalitions refused to acknowledge the DA as ruler in the Oudtshoorn Municipality after a properly constituted council took a motion to support the DA as result of rampant maladministration.

We should all be vigilant about the intention of censorship in the SABC. The motive might be to hide the possible disputes of the stolen votes and prevent the public to know any disputes that may expose the ruling party’s crooked elements.

By: Phaswana Rofhiwa, Thohoyandou.

 

 

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