The SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has vehemently denied there are investigations into its GCEO and CFO regarding the ICT Indaba debacle.
Media reports said the SABC board is investigating GCEO Lulama Mokhobo and CFO Gugu Duda for making an unauthorised contribution of R3 million to the ICT Indaba.
However, chairperson of the board Ben Ngubane says the corporation views the “malicious and unsubstantiated allegations” with disdain.
“The GCEO and the CFO are not under any form of investigation. It is disconcerting that such rumours can be bandied around without any iota of proof or verification.”
Normal business
Ngubane explains that when the matter of the sponsorship of the ICT Indaba came to his attention, he requested the executive to furnish the board with a report on the SABC's role in the event.
“Such a request for a report constitutes the normal nature of the business of the board, which needs to be apprised of developments within the broadcaster in terms of its oversight role.”
He adds that it is unfortunate that this has been misconstrued as an investigation.
Fallacy
The media reports also quoted a member of trade union Communication Workers Union (CWU) saying the investigation has been common knowledge for a while.
However, national CWU spokesperson Matankana Mothapo says this is not true. “The source is just raising some fallacy. We don't know about any investigation being conducted in relation to the ICT Indaba and the SABC GCEO or CFO.”
The inaugural ICT Indaba was held in the first week of June, in Cape Town. It saw discussion around how to boost the development of the ICT sector in Africa. The event was aimed at formulating an African agenda to promote ICT as a primary tool to spur social and economic development throughout the continent.
It became the subject of controversy when romantic links were discovered between communications minister Dina Pule and a subcontractor for the event, who withdrew sponsorship money for the indaba a few days after it concluded.
Due to the alleged misappropriation of funds for the event, the auditor-general conducted an investigation into the R10 million committed to the indaba by the Department of Communications.
The auditor-general's investigation into the inaugural ICT Indaba has since been completed and found no improper conduct.
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