Former South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Chief Operations Officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, is adamant that he was moved out of the public broadcaster because he was independent.
Motsoeneng has been responding to the last parts of the State Capture Report. The report indicates that Motsoeneng and the former group CEO Lulama Mokhobo should be investigated.
The fifth report of the inquiry into corruption and fraud in the public sector has found that the two possibly contravened sections of the Public Finance Management Act when concluding the agreement between the SABC and the now-defunct Gupta-owned The New Age newspaper breakfast briefings.
Motsoeneng says he was not influenced by former President Jacob Zuma nor by the Gupta family.
“I have never discussed issues about the SABC with Zuma. If people don’t like Zuma they should not create stories about Zuma. Do you believe that I can listen to anyone? I only listen to myself because when I take decisions I must own up to them. That’s why I don’t run away and even at the Zondo Commission, I was swimming like fish. They could not catch me. The state capture commission has no evidence against me. I’m here, I’m not running away. I’m still saying even today, that the SABC should not report violence.”
Motsoeneng says he created employment while he was the SABC COO:
