‘Hlaudi should be put in jail’

As former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng plans a return to the spotlight as a politician‚ national radio presenter Rob Forbes has claimed that Motsoeneng should be jailed for the mess he put the broadcaster and its staff through.

The 5FM radio jock served under Motsoeneng and took to Twitter to claim that the businessman and politician created a toxic environment that has continued to destroy lives long after his departure. “Hlaudi belongs in prison. “He created an environment so toxic a journalist died from the stress. He bankrupted an organisation. He’s about to cost thousands of people a livelihood,” he said on Thursday.

“As a media professional‚ he’s the most incompetent person I’ve ever heard from.”

Forbes said Motsoeneng’s 90% local music quota instituted in 2016‚ “broke” the SABC and led to a mass exodus of advertisers and audiences.

An SABC interim board later claimed that the decision cost the broadcaster R200m.

“We who were here know. Audiences disappeared overnight. Advertisers left. Because you know what‚ turns out you can’t dictate to audiences.

“You have to reflect to audiences. That’s an absolute basic.”

Forbes slammed the policy and said it interfered with how radio should work.

“Radio’s job has never been to develop artists’ careers. It’s not PR. It’s a business,” he said.

Motsoeneng was in the news this week after he appeared on the SABC to address some of the claims against him.

He also launched his own political party‚ the African Content Movement.

His political policies include reducing social grants and forcing foreign firms to exit SA.