Hlaudi supporters call for SABC interim board to resign and reinstate him

A small group of supporters of controversial former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng staged a march in Johannesburg on Thursday‚ calling for the public broadcaster to reinstate him and for its interim board to resign with immediate effect.

This follows the SABC interim board’s disclosure last month during a briefing to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications of plans to reverse Motsoeneng’s 90% local content policy.

"The new board that has been put in‚ has said that the 90 percent policy is stupid so this is the reason why we have organised ourselves and we are going to tell that board to resign with immediate effect and reinstate Hlaudi Motsoeneng because he is the vision barrier of the policy‚" said Ntsako Shivambu‚ Citizen Action Campaign’s head of communications.

• Vundla disses Hlaudi over 90% local content quotaGenerations - The Legacy creator Mfundi Vundla has criticised Hlaudi Motsoeneng's 90% local content quota at the SABC, claiming it was a "publicity stunt" that failed those who were supposed to benefit the most from it. 

"The board is not representing the masses of our people‚ they have no interest in us. They all talk about profit. We need to move as a society from profit and start talking about real issues and empower our own people‚" he added.

A  group of Hlaudi Motsoeneng supporters staged a march in Johannesburg today. Picture by Abigail Javier

The CAC‚ a community based organisation‚ commenced their march from the Peter Rose Park in Braamfontein and headed to the parastatal in Auckland Park to hand over a two-page memorandum to the SABC management.

The marchers included musicians‚ actors and fashion designers that work within the art s industry.

• Heavy hitters for latest Hlaudi hearingA former judge president and a top Johannesburg advocate have been appointed to lead disciplinary proceedings against SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng. 

Some of the placards that they were carrying read "Hands off SABC local content march"‚ "80% Local content on SABC TV"‚ "Local content preserves our African culture and heritage for future generations" and "SABC interim board must voetsek".

Protectors march to preserve 90% local content on-air. Picture by Abigail Javier

Motsoeneng was axed from the SABC after a damning Parliamentary ad hoc committee report found that the previous board had mismanaged the public broadcaster‚ leading to the loss of hundreds of more than R200 million.

• Hlaudi fires broadside at interim SABC boardSuspended SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng has fired yet another broadside at the public broadcaster's interim board‚ accusing it of "playing to the gallery" after it charged him with bringing the company into disrepute. 

Contacted for comment‚ SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the public broadcaster is anxiously waiting for the group to hand over their memorandum and will decide whether or not to respond.