He might technically be unemployed, but this has not stopped former e.tv boss Marcel Golding from spreading a bit of Christmas cheer to the station's staff.
The trade unionist-turned-media mogul and his wife, Bronwyn Keene-Young, have made a multimillion-rand bonus pledge to about 2000 permanent e.tv employees and those of its sister companies, e.sat, Lalela, NHU, eAcademy, Sabido Productions and Platco.
The amounts, to be paid out from Golding and Keene-Young's "personal bank accounts", will be based on the number of years staff have been with the company.
Staff members who have been at e.tv for more than three years will take home an additional nontaxable R15000 in addition to their 13th cheque.
Those with less than one year's service will get up to R5000 pro rata for the months worked, and those with two and three years at the station will get R5000 and R10000 respectively.
Golding resigned as executive chairman from e.tv's parent company, Hosken Consolidated Investments, in October, after being suspended for buying R24-million in shares from electronics company Ellies, apparently without board approval.
He is ranked 28th on the Sunday Times Rich List, published today, with a estimated net worth of R1.7-billion.
The couple made the announcement at the company's annual year-end function at Gold Reef City in Joburg last weekend.
"Our success over many years is attributed to all the staff in the company and we thought it's appropriate to share a gift with them to acknowledge them," Golding said on Friday.
Staff said the couple took the stage towards the end of the formal proceedings and delivered an emotional speech.
"Both of them were very emotional and people went crazy as they announced their gift," said one staff member.
An e.tv spokesman declined to respond to questions on the number of employees who stood to benefit and the value of the payment in total.
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