Hlaudi Motsoeneng's managerial style leads to brawl

2 September 2016

Pretoria - A debate on coalition politics at the Tshwane University of Technology ended in a near brawl when SABC chief operating officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng's managerial skills were praised.

Leader of the Black First, Land First movement, Andile Mngxitama gave praises to Motsoeneng during his closing remarks following the debate.

"The media is controlled by the western ideologists. For me there are only two progressive managers in South Africa: Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Brian Molefe," he said.

That statement was interrupted by a comment from Tshwane FM station Manager Jeremy Thorpe who said Motsoeneng was an idiot.

An exchange of words started with Thorpe saying Mngxitama was out of his mind. Mngxitama in turn grabbed an empty water bottle and threw it at Thorpe.

"Why is this man insulting Hlaudi? I will not be insulted by a white man. He said I was out of my mind, that is insulting," yelled Mngxitama.

He was part of a panel to talk about coalition politics. Other speakers included Women’s Justice Foundation founder Magdalene Moonsamy and Democratic Alliance MP Stevens Mokgalapa.

The debate was hosted by the South African Association of Public Administration and Management's Gauteng chapter.

Members of the crowd then also got involved in the screaming match with one asking: "Who is Hlaudi to us?"

Mngxitama was restrained by organisers and he took his bag and left the venue. The incident brought an abrupt end to the discussion before people went to lunch.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.