Hlaudi Motsoeneng TV show

Hlaudi Motsoeneng / Image via Facebook

WATCH: ‘I have created employment for you,’ Hlaudi tells SABC anchor

The State Capture report found that former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng abused his powers and essentially helped the Guptas

Hlaudi Motsoeneng TV show

Hlaudi Motsoeneng / Image via Facebook

Former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng didn’t take too kindly to being grilled about the damning findings against him contained in the State Capture report, reminding an anchor at the public broadcaster that he created jobs for her and her colleagues.

Motsoeneng did a live interview with SABC News to respond to the report, which recommended that he and former Communications minister Faith Muthambi be charged for their dealings with the Gupta family. The commission’s chairperson, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo found that they both abused their powers and allowed for hundreds of millions of rands in taxpayers’ money to be diverted to the Guptas’ media company, TNA Media.

“It is most probable that Mr Motsoeneng’s gross abuse of power at the SABC, including diverting public resources vested in the SABC to benefit the Gupta’s rival media company, appear to have been sanction by both Ms Muthambi and [former] President Jacob Zuma,” Zondo said in the report.

HLAUDI MOTSOENENG: ‘THIS IS MY LEGACY’

Hlaudi Motsoeneg however wouldn’t be drawn to comment on the R11 million he was ordered to pay back to the SABC, which is what prompted the fiery exchange with the journalist.

“What you must be happy [about] is that I have created employment for you and others at the SABC. This is my legacy. The reason you are working at the SABC is because of my innovation to make sure at least I create employment and no one has ever, in the history of South Africa, created employment the way I did,” Motsoeneng said.

In December 2021, the High Court in Johannesburg found that the money should have not been given to him.

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) had approached the courts to have a decision by the SABC board to award Motsoeneng the funds reviewed and set aside. According to the SIU, the money had been paid to him as a success fee – but now the court has declared that the money was unlawfully given to him.