Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Picture: RUSSELL ROBERTS
Hlaudi Motsoeneng. Picture: RUSSELL ROBERTS

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CONTROVERSIAL South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng remained in his position on Thursday despite a push by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to compel the broadcaster to suspend him.

The main opposition party on Thursday approached the High Court in Cape Town seeking an order holding the SABC in contempt of court for failing to suspend Mr Motsoeneng.

Mr Motsoeneng has remained in office despite last week’s damning Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that confirmed the public protector’s powers and ruled that he be suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.

Earlier this week Mr Motsoeneng lodged an appeal to the Constitutional Court challenging the suspension ruling. Although the SABC is also set to lodge its own appeal to challenge the appellate court ruling, the broadcaster on Monday served him a disciplinary notice and the hearings are set to start on October 30.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago on Thursday confirmed that Mr Motsoeneng has still not been suspended.

"I can confirm that he has not been suspended and right now he is in Cape Town. We have also not seen the DA papers, so I cannot comment further, " he said.

Earlier DA federal executive chairman James Selfe said that the party, through its legal counsel, wrote to the SABC stipulating that should it fail to give effect to the suspension of Mr Motsoeneng by Wednesday, as is consistent with the High Court and appellate judgments, "we will not hesitate to make the SABC comply with law, order and due process".

"The SABC has clearly failed to do so which is a flagrant contempt of court and is the latest demonstration that the ANC in government have absolutely no regard for the rule of law and due process.

"Mr Motsoeneng is bad news for the SABC and bad news for SA.

"He is a key figure in the continuing ‘Zumafication’ of the public broadcaster and has been protected and promoted despite several findings against him. We hope that the SABC will see this as an opportunity to finally hold Mr Motsoeneng accountable for his actions," said Mr Selfe.