Former SABC Chief Operating Officer (COO) and African Content Movement (ACM) leader, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, says he does not regret giving money to artists during his tenure at the public broadcaster.
Motsoeneng said if given the opportunity he would do it again to transform the artists’ lives. He told The Star on Tuesday, that he was particularly proud that the funds went to “noble causes”.
He said what was more important for him, was that he had played his role in making sure that the SABC was transformed.
Motsoeneng emphasised that the funds paid to the artists, and which opened a can of worms for him and other SABC executives, were not SABC monies, as alleged by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
He claimed that there was a witch-hunt against him and the legal action taken by the SABC and SIU was a political ploy. “I have been saying this is political because I am aware that all these politicians, especially those who are against me, are afraid that if they don’t tarnish my name I am going to emerge as one of the leaders of SA. People are afraid of me.”
According to Motsoeneng, his political foes were out to tarnish his name in an effort to derail him from running for the country’s highest office.
In trying to get statements, Motsoeneng alleged that the SIU spoke to people who knew “nothing” about the funding of the artists.
A Special Tribunal heard that Motsoeneng and nine former SABC executives, including former group CEO James Aguma, unlawfully made “gratuity payments” to 180 “music legends”.
“They decided that 183 musicians would be paid for the role they played during apartheid. Only 53 of them were paid R50 000 each in 2016,” the tribunal said.
The SIU and SABC this week demanded Motsoeneng and the implicated former SABC executives pay back the money allegedly given irregularly to musicians.
The Star