/ 3 October 2009

Mercs for hard up SABC staff

The cash-strapped SABC has negotiated a ‘corporate spring offer” from Mercedes-Benz, which it has circulated to all SABC personnel.

‘Dear Staff, kindly note that this special from Mercedes-Benz has been negotiated exclusively for SABC employees,” the email reads. The prices for the luxury vehicles included in the list range from R230 000 to R661 000.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said he did not know why questions were being raised about the offer. ‘Nobody is going to go out and buy a Mercedes unless they can afford one,” said Kganyago. ‘So we are just making people aware that there is this special offer if they need a new car and can afford to buy one.”

Despite the introduction of austerity measures, the SABC had not revised its contractual obligations, including car allowances, said Kganyago.

The auditor-general’s report on the SABC, released last week, found that because of inadequate controls, employees splurged R11.3-million on petrol card expenditure from January 1 2007 to July 31 this year.

The interim SABC board is now looking at the contractual implications of withdrawing all petrol cards.