Zikalala presented his case yesterday, Wednesday, 18 June 2008, to the Johannesburg-based labour court for what it termed ‘unfair labour practices' on the part of the public broadcaster after he was suspended by thrice-suspended CEO Dali Mpofu on 6 May for leaking confidential documents. Mpofu himself was suspended a day later by the board in what many observers believe was an act of revenge for suspending ‘board-friendly' Zikalala.
Due the confidentiality of the matter, neither party is willing to comment. But a source told Bizcommunity.com last night: “Yes, Snuki is definitely coming back now that Dali is out in the cold. He was the one who booted him out and now that he is gone, Snuki's way is wide open. He is a friend of the board, so they want it back as soon as possible. I am sure they will work things out for peace's sake.”
Should the process of conciliation and mediation fail, the matter will then be heard for arbitration.
Snubbed by the board, ‘lonely' and ‘unwanted', Mpofu is expected to go to court next week to have his third suspension set aside. He was given his marching orders last week Thursday for, among other things, challenging the board in court, losing the broadcasting rights and overseeing massive financial management. He allegedly spent R144 million between April 2006 and March 2008 without any proof of contract. All the charges are detailed in a five-page document leaked to the media this week.
Meanwhile, the SABC Senior Management Forum (SMF), a group comprised of more than 100 managers, is impatiently waiting to hear if president Thabo Mbeki will dismiss the board by Friday.
SMF spokesperson Sipho Sithole said that they handed a letter to the President, requesting him to sack the board because it is unfit to govern and lacks moral authority. The SMF also wants Mpofu to be reinstated.
The crisis has brought the Auckland Park institution to a standstill and seriously affected its much-publicised philosophy ‘Broadcasting for Total Citizen Empowerment'.
The drama continues.
