The South African Broadcasting Corporation Group CEO Dali Mpofu has been suspended with immediate effect, the public broadcaster’s board announced on Wednesday.
This follows the suspension of group executive of news and current affairs, Snuki Zikalala, on Tuesday.
”The decision to suspend advocate Mpofu follows an SABC board resolution taken on Tuesday. The board has resolved to conduct an investigation into very serious allegations about the conduct of the GCEO,” a statement said.
”The allegations levelled against the GCEO include an alleged refusal and/or failure to abide and implement decisions of the board.”
Mpofu has been suspended with full pay pending an investigation into the allegations, and, if necessary, a disciplinary enquiry.
”We intend to conclude this investigation within the next 30 days. In the meantime I would like to state categorically that at this stage no decision has been taken to terminate the employment of the GCEO,” said board chairperson Kanyi Mkhonza.
Business Day reported on Wednesday that Mpofu’s action against Zikalala had not been recognised by the board.
Asked if the board viewed Zikalala’s suspension as valid, Mkhonza told the paper: ”No, not at all.”
A source told the paper that according to the broadcaster’s code of conduct, Zikalala ”cannot be suspended without Mpofu having notified the board”.
”As far as we are concerned the matter is a non-starter. Mpofu is in breach of the code,” the source told Business Day.
Zikalala suspended
In a statement on Tuesday, the SABC said Zikalala had been suspended by Mpofu pending the outcome of a probe into allegations of misconduct.
”The outcome of the investigation is likely to result in a formal disciplinary inquiry,” the statement said.
”In order to protect the rights of all parties involved, there will be no public discussion of the details surrounding this issue at this stage.”
Mpofu told the SABC that the misconduct had to do with the leaking of sensitive documents but denied that it was connected to news reports regarding an internal SABC memorandum about rifts between the board and Mpofu.
”No, it’s actually unrelated to the media speculation around this issue so the timing in that sense was quite strangely unfortunate, but no this is a matter that has to do with information that was received about sensitive documents of the organisation.”
He said he would not discuss the merits of the matter as the investigation was under way.
” … in fairness to the employee [Zikalala] he must be given a chance to defend himself if and when we do have a disciplinary inquiry,” Mpofu said.
The broadcaster has struggled to defend its credibility, denying it was becoming an information arm for Mbeki’s government and surrendering its independence as it had done during the dark days of apartheid.
The SABC was fiercely criticised in 2006 for cancelling a controversial documentary about Mbeki that it said was unbalanced and potentially defamatory.
Expectations that SABC was in for a facelift have swirled since Jacob Zuma won the ANC leadership in December.
Many pro-Mbeki officials have been purged from party and parliamentary positions as well as state-run institutions since Zuma’s victory, and Mbeki is increasingly seen as a lame duck with less than a year to serve in his final term.
South Africa’s media is generally among the the most unrestrained on the continent, and its freedom from political harassment is enshrined in the democratic Constitution. – Sapa, Reuters