SABC defends Motsoeneng’s R1 million pay increase
SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng is doing his job at the SABC, with his near R1m salary hike this year bringing his pay up to the level appropriate for his position, SABC chairperson Mbulaheni Maguvhe said on Thursday.
“We haven’t just decided to give him another million. It is within the SABC benchmark that the COO gets what he is getting at the moment,” Maghuve said in an interview on broadcaster 702.
“What you have to understand is that while he was acting [chief operating officer] he was receiving the salary of the GE [group executive], a percentage of acting [COO], not the salary of a COO so when he was appointed as the [permanent] COO that’s when he started receiving what he is getting at the moment.”
On Wednesday, Motsoeneng said it was not a sin for a black man to earn a decent salary.
Speaking to reporters at the SABC’s headquarters in Johannesburg on his salary bump to R3.7m, Motsoeneng said the SABC was willing to pay any employee who added value to the company.
“Anyone who is able to generate revenue for the SABC should be rewarded accordingly, even if those people are cleaners,” Motsoeneng said.
The salary hike included a bonus of R279 000 and R916 000 in expenses and allowances. The SABC also contributed R369 000 to his pension and medical aid fund.
According to the DA, Motsoeneng had received almost a million rand increase from the R2.872m he received while in the acting COO position.
“The only problem can be if the SABC is paying Hlaudi more than what it is suppose to be paying. But there is a policy … processes in place,” Motsoeneng said, adding that he did not sign off on his own pay cheques or bonuses.
He said while his salary may be frowned upon, there were some members of the executive who earned more than he did.
“People have been misled. We need to be fair when reporting on matters within the organisation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the public broadcaster reported a loss of R395m during the last financial year.
The public broadcaster’s top brass said the losses were because of, among other things, load shedding, downsizing from advertisers and the failure of consumers to pay tv licenses.
Maghuve, asked about a reported crisis at the public broadcaster, denied there was any such thing.
“I don’t see any crisis at the SABC. There are people who are going all out spreading lies about the SABC. The SABC is stable, we have over a billion rands in the bank and so I don’t know which crisis are people referring to,” he said.
Last year, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela released a report where she recommended action against Motsoeneng for receiving exorbitant salary increases and forging his matric certificate.
However, he has stayed in his job and challenged Madonsela’s powers before the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).
The matter was heard in court last week and judgment reserved.
Maghuve, responding to a question about the matter, said while he did not want to dwell on it as it was still before the courts, Motsoeneng has been open about his educational history.
“The issue that he lied about matric, I remember him even speaking at Wits telling people that he doesn’t have matric so if he can tell the academics and students at Wits that he doesn’t have matric, why would he hide this matter to the SABC?” he said.
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