Hlaudi Motsoeneng in the spotlight on social media as SABC retrenchment saga continues
Controversial former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng's name has been the talk of social media as more details emerged about the broadcaster's financial crisis.
This week, SABC announced that it would be retrenching 400 staff members as a measure to stay afloat, after it reported a R511m loss for the financial year ending in March and a decline in revenue from R6.4bn the previous year to R5.7bn.
TimesLIVE reported that SABC group CEO Madoda Mxakwe said the broadcaster faced a difficult financial year and that this affected its revenue generation activities.
A 12% year-on-year revenue loss added to the broadcaster's woes, as advertising income dropped, said Mxakwe. TV licence revenue also declined 18% year-on-year to R791m.
However, on Wednesday, communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams urged the SABC board to consider all possible options, with an aim to preserve jobs.
In a viral video, SABC journalist Chriselda Lewis made an impassioned plea to the group executive for news Phathiswa Magopeni to reconsider the public broadcaster’s stance on retrenchments.
“When you came here, this is not what we expected from you. We have great admiration for you in the journalism industry,” said Lewis.
Lewis also took a swipe at some SABC managers, telling them that the workers were the ones who had kept the SABC going long before they were appointed.
Magopeni agreed to retract retrenchment letters issued to staff.
On social media, Motsoeneng's name was mentioned by some reacting to the situation.
They shared opinions on how he left the SABC, the mark he made while at the broadcaster and what's been happening since his departure.
Here is a snapshot of what social media users had to say.
Motsoeneng
“Hlaudi left the SABC healthy” 🙄 pic.twitter.com/bX8q2WipD1
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) November 18, 2020
Hlaudi who put their interest first and that of South African artists was mocked, said he is not educated, bakwenza inhlekisa and they rejoiced when you were removed
— 马利国 Comrade Bae 😊🇿🇦🇨🇳 (@MajavuThabiso) November 17, 2020
Kunjani makunje today?
Compare SABC under Hlaudi and now pic.twitter.com/KBXCvKsOV1
Mr Makhathini knows nothing about the daily oparations at the SABC, how do you expect someone like that to take decision regarding the public broadcaster? Hlaudi was not educated but he have all the information regarding the daily oparations at the SABC pic.twitter.com/SbXJXJCzM7
— Mr Handsome (@MrHandsome_ZA) November 19, 2020
The very best parts of this video are precisely at 0:44 and 1:10 🤩😄🙏🏾
— Ngithe NGINENTOMBI!!! ✋🏾🙄 (@PapiZwane) November 19, 2020
I swear all I need is the type of confidence and conviction of Hlaudi has 🥺 https://t.co/oRuyC8thjd
Retrenchments
It was okay for the SABC newsroom to report about the looming retrenchments at SABC because they thought they won't be affected, until they got served notices themselves, now the whole country must stop because their jobs are more important than other jobs at SABC
— Baba kaS'fonyo (@Mtamerri) November 19, 2020
Who would have thought, SABC News on Channel 404 leading with looming retrenchments at the public broadcaster, as the day's top stories. Wow wow wow 💔💔
— Abongile Dumako (@AbongileDumako) November 17, 2020
The only restructuring that we can accept in SABC is a moratorium on retrenchments where the bad decision makers that have been making bad decisions that are running down the public broadcaster lose their jobs first.
— Pan Africanist Congress of Azania Gauteng (@PAC_Gauteng) November 17, 2020
#SABCRetrenchments
— CyberBullying Defense Force SA 🇿🇦🕒 (@cyberbullying_i) November 19, 2020
Companies should find another solution rather than retrenching people. It's so painful 😭😭💔 pic.twitter.com/a2C1jxXSVm
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