Under Matlala‚ SABC will have 'put out the begging bowl': Cope

02 July 2015 - 12:12 By RDM News Wire

The appointment of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) new CEO has left the Congress of the People (Cope) asking: “Are we learning nothing from what is happening in Greece?” Frans Matlala’s assignment to head the state broadcaster shows the “ruling party is insistently ignoring and isolating qualified‚ capable and credible citizens from competing for such positions”‚ says Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem.“Then the SABC will come running to the government for a bail out and the minister of finance will deplete state assets further by selling some more non core assets until nothing is left to sell‚” he said.This‚ Cope contended was because it is well known that “Matlala and (SABC COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng have a very close and unhealthy relationship”‚ and the latter “will effectively control the financial affairs and dig the SABC into an even deeper hole”.“Like the National Party‚ which the ruling party ingested‚ the African National Congress is taking the SABC back to becoming a mouthpiece for the ruling party‚” said Bloem.“As the SABC loses credibility‚ it will lose financial support and put out the begging bowl.”Matlala succeeds former CEO Lulama Mokhobo who quit last year amid speculation that she had had a difficult working relationship with Motsoeneng...

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