Wiseman Khuzwayo
Allegations of corruption in commissioning procedures have been levelled against the head of SABC TV, Molefe Mokgatle, prompting what has been described as a “highly sensitive” audit by a firm of outside auditors.
The SABC is trying to keep the investigation secret, and no one at the corporation would confirm it officially on Thursday.
Mokgatle has not been suspended, as was done last week with the acting chief executive of Bop TV, Cawe Mahlati, pending investigations into allegations of mismanagement, fraud, corruption and nepotism.
Because of the sensitivity of the allegations – Mokgatle controls a commissioning budget of about R200-million – the specific allegations against him have been subsumed into a general audit of all commissioning procedures.
Thaninga Shope, senior manager (corporate communications and marketing) at the SABC, flatly denied that such an investigation was taking place, while Neil Harvey, chief operating officer, said there was a general audit of all purchasing procedures at the corporation.
Harvey refused to name the firm of auditors doing this work, saying only that it was one of the five biggest in the country.
The Mail & Guardian understands that it is KPMG.
Reverend Hawu Mbatha, group chief executive, appointed an internal investigating team consisting of Solly Mokoetle, senior manager (strategy), Andy Sello, head of internal audit, and Eric Nhlapo, SABC programming manager.
The SABC’s commissioning process, a lucrative industry for production houses, has long been dogged by controversy, with many suspicions and allegations of corruption.