Hlaudi Motsoeneng has vowed to challenge any court ruling against him up to the highest court in the land. (Gallo)
Hlaudi Motsoeneng, private citizen and, he believes, future president of South Africa by way of another stint at the SABC he once controlled as chief operating officer, held a press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday. After diligently taking notes for two-and-a-half hours, we have selected some of the best bits:
• On being paid his full salary while sitting at home: “There is nothing wrong when a black person is paid a lot of money … I think I’m paid what I deserve … I can tell you there are so many people asking me to join them, [offering to pay] me double or triple.”
• On his claims of political support should he want to run for office in the future: “I said I can mobilise 20‑million [supporters]; what I know is the majority of South Africa, everywhere that I go, they want Hlaudi somewhere … they want a very senior position.”
• On the structure of Parliament: “If I was a politician, I would never allow that you have 10 or 20 political parties. For what? … We need to change the Constitution so that people who are there, they have numbers behind them, they have people behind them.”
• On national government policy: “I started this radical transformation. You know that I started that thing? And I see that people have joined me.”
• On why he is indispensable to the SABC: “In life, what people ignore is talent to do certain things. You know there is that talent; you can’t take it away. You can have all many people [but] if they don’t have that thing of Hlaudi, forget [it].”
• On economic policy: “If you impose austerity, it means that you can’t invest in black people.”
• On state capture allegations: ”Who are working for the Guptas? South Africans. When you chase them away, you are saying: ‘Go back to the shacks that you come from.’”
• On race: “Not all white people are bad. Not all of them. It is like black people. Not all of them are bad.”
• On language: “English can’t make you a better person.”
For an analysis on how the key to Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s wisdom lies in comparative testicle size, see mg.co.za/hlaudiballs