Muthambi must urgently provide reasons for SABC CEO suspension 

18 November 2015

The DA notes with concern the suspension of the recently appointed SABC CEO, Frans Matlala, today barely four months in office.

This suspension was carried out with virtually no reasons provided to Parliament and the public.

Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi, as the appointment authority must come clean on the reasons for this so Parliament may satisfy itself that this suspension was not for irrelevant and undue political considerations as has been her modus operandi since assuming office.

Indeed, Minister Muthambi’s tenure as Communications Minister has been mired in controversy. She has continued to protect the disgraced SABC COO, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and endorsed his purges of anyone who defied him by acting independently and in the best interests of our nation’s public broadcaster.

As ordered by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA); Mr Motsoeneng was put on suspension pending the outcome of the disciplinary against him. 

Given the timing of Matlala’s suspension one can only wonder if his suspension has anything of to with the commencement of the Motsoeneng disciplinary proceedings on 01 December 2015.

We call on Minister Muthambi to urgently provide the reasons for Matlala’s suspension and urgently fix the permanent state of chaos, in order to restore much lost credibility to the SABC. 

Issued by Phumzile Van Damme, DA Shadow Minister of Communications, 18 November 2015