The ups and downs of 2018 for Hlaudi Motsoeneng
On December 12 Hlaudi Motsoeneng announced his new political party, the African Content Movement, and his plans to contest the 2019 national elections.
It was the latest twist in a rollercoaster year for the controversial former SABC COO. From losing legal bids to launching a political campaign, Motsoeneng has certainly had an eventful year.
In February he challenged his dismissal from the SABC at the CCMA. He was fired after a disciplinary committee found that he had violated the SABC code of conduct. Motsoeneng claimed that his exit from SABC was a political conspiracy against him, saying that he appeared more than anyone else in the commission's report.
It was reported in September that Bosasa, now called African Global Operations, had settled Motsoeneng's R1.2m legal costs.
Motsoeneng took to court again in December to argue against the SABC for seeking an interim order to stop his multimillion-rand pension.
According to the broadcaster, auditors found that he had been illegally paid R11.5m. The SABC said Motsoeneng was not entitled to a bonus as he had been involved in wrongdoing.
Motsoeneng raised eyebrows when he appeared at the High Court earlier this month and announced that he intended to run for president in the 2019 elections.
“I knew what I must do to change people’s lives. I am going to run and lead SA as a president,” he said, adding that his lack of a matric qualification should not deter people from supporting him.
Motsoeneng's announcement was met with criticism and taken lightly by many, who would've been surprised when a week later he launched his own political party.
His policies for the African Content Movement include reducing social grants and forcing foreign companies to exit the country after 30 years.