This is one recommendation from the commission of inquiry into interference at the SABC.
One of the findings from the commission of inquiry into Interference in the decision-making in the Newsroom of the South African Broadcasting Corporation was that HR decisions ordered by former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng must be reviewed and reversed where necessary. Among many other recommendations, the report states that all of Motsoeneng’s instructions to institute disciplinary hearings against employees, or to dismiss, promote or appoint others must be reviewed.
“Also, Human Resources must do an audit of the appointments, promotions or sideways shifts of senior news management, particularly Nothando Maseko, Sebolelo Ditlhakanyane and Charles Matlou. Where the records are found to be incomplete and the gap is not explained, the appointment/promotion must be reversed and the position re-advertised, with the person currently occupying it being invited to reapply,” reads the report.
Veteran journalist Joe Thloloe recently released the report, which outlined how the commission found a culture of fear and anger during its investigation at the public broadcaster.
While there was no evidence found of a direct line of interference from the governing party with the SABC’s editorial coverage, the inquiry did find the “spectre” of the ANC did hover in the SABC’s editorial decisions.
The inquiry found that from 2012 until 2017, SABC executives took instructions from people with no editorial authority, including from SABC board chairperson Ellen Tshabalala and former communications minister Faith Muthambi.
SABC board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini has been reported to have expressed deep concerned about the findings on individual employees who were implicated in editorial interference.
