More SABC allegations surface amid witch-hunt

CHRIS BATHEMBU

JOHANNESBURG - Damning allegations linking another SABC senior employee into allegations of improper management activities have surfaced.

The Citizen last week obtained information claiming that head of TV news, Amrit Manga – and not Snuki Zikalala – was instrumental in shunting reporters Mzwandile Mbeje and Tshepo Ikaneng off any Jacob Zuma stories.

Included in the allegation is that Manga had allegedly hastily renegotiated news presenter Joanne Josephs’s work contract, based on her claim that she had received an offer of employment from e.tv.

Josephs apparently did not have to produce a written copy of e.tv’s offer to Manga as the company policy requires.

A senior SABC news staffer, who spoke to The Citizen on condition of anonymity, said Joseph had admitted that there was no offer made to her by e.tv.

Josephs could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But in a lengthy statement released to The Citizen, SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago claimed: “Joan Josephs’s upgrade followed all the proper internal procedures including full consultation with senior news management and human resources.”

Kganyago also denied Manga had promoted a junior bulletin writer to assignments editor, despite that individual not having the necessary experience.

All the alleged mismanagement by Manga is said to have occurred when his boss, Zikalala, was suspended.

Kganyago said assignment editors report to the national editor and as such the national editor was responsible for the appointments.

Kganyago also defended Manga for allowing Akash Bramdeo, a member of his senior management team, to pop up as a presenter on a variety of news bulletins and JSE crossings.

Bramdeo is also an assignments editor and it’s against the SABC rules for a person in management to also become a presenter.

“Bramdeo was used temporarily following the recent resignation of the previous JSE reporter,” Kganyago said.

“Bramdeo was the only individual within SABC news with the skill to report on the JSE at the time,” added Kganyago.

He said Bramdeo was no longer used on air following the appointment of Gunther Deutsch as the permanent reporter. According to him, it was a temporary situation