MDDA Acting CEO Donald Liphoko fired

The DA has been reliably informed that the Acting CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), Donald Liphoko, has been fired from the agency.

This follows allegations by the MDDA board that Mr Liphoko had been guilty of misconduct.

There were also allegations from Mr Liphoko that he was intimidated during his time at the agency, where he was not only locked out of his office but also illegally suspended from his position.

In recent weeks it has become evident that the MDDA is in a total state of dysfunction. This is why the DA supports the call for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the MDDA.

Some of the DA’s major concerns about the current state of the MDDA were confirmed by the release of its annual report, these include:

- The agency’s deficit of R12.923 million;

- Irregular expenditure currently stands at R6.715 million;

- An Auditor General investigation found that, “[t]he accounting office did not have sufficient monitoring and oversight controls in place to ensure credible performance reporting and compliance with relevant laws and regulations”; and

- “The senior management responsible did not exercise adequate control disciplines over performance reporting and compliance [with financial and performance management]. Performance reporting did not always agree to the supporting evidence provided and compliance to legislation was not always monitored”.

There are clearly deep-rooted problems at the MDDA. And the bickering between Communications Minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, and her Deputy, Thandi Mahambehlala, has clearly resulted to this matter deteriorating even further.

It is therefore of absolute importance that the Parliament performs its oversight and investigate the operational problems at the MDDA.

The DA will simply not allow for the MDDA to turn into another SABC. Poor leadership and financial mismanagement must immediately be rooted out.

Statement issued by Veronica Van Dyk MP,  DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Communications, 29 September 2017