The SABC doled out R11.3-million to take its senior managers, staff, board members, some of their partners and 12 guests to last year’s Beijing Olympics.
And its bitter legal battle with axed chief executive Dali Mpofu has cost a staggering R8-million thus far.
Since last year the broadcaster has repeatedly dodged questions — from parliament and the media — over the two issues. And just last week it admitted that it was in the red for a staggering R784-million
Business Times can today reveal that R5.5-million was spent on technical staff, R2.01-million on senior executives, R683 739 on board members and R2.2-million on guests on the Olympics trip.
An additional R854 948 is also believed to have been spent on taking along the spouses of board members and executives.
The amounts include flights, accommodation, entry tickets to the Olympic Games as well as daily financial stipends.
The total cost of the trip contradicts statements made by acting CEO Gab Mampone that it had cost the financially strapped broadcaster just R4.5-million.
Speaking to journalist John Perlman on Gauteng station Kaya FM on Monday, Mampone said R6-million had initially been budgeted but “we ended up paying R4.5-million, somewhere around there”.
Asked what was the amount spent on taking executives and board members, Mampone replied: “Let me just explain something. It was not only board members or staff or executives — included in that we had key stakeholders that we invited as well, who accompanied us.”
Responding to a parliamentary question in October, communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said the cost for nine executives and three board members — “who were not directly involved in the operational elements of broadcasting ” —- was R2.7-million.
“I am advised by SABC that SABC Sport had budgeted for the trip to the Beijing Olympics and therefore the expenditure was justified in the circumstances,” she said at the time, without revealing the real financial costs involved.
Strangely, the SABC’s spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said late on Friday that four board members and just three senior executives attended the games.
Regarding how much it cost to take the board members along and whether any spouses attended, he said they were “still sourcing this information”.
In early February the Freedom Front Plus again grilled Matsepe- Casaburri by asking her, among other things, why each official went, how clients taken along were selected and whether relatives and friends went along and at what cost to the taxpayer.
The minister has yet to respond despite a parliamentary deadline of February 27.
Ironically, Mampone this week suspended two senior executives — his general manager of radio and TV sales, Strini Naicker, and the general manager of human resources, Lene Chamberlaine.
The duo were placed on “special leave” after allegations of nepotism, mismanagement and abuse of funds were levelled against them by the Communications Workers Union.
Mampone appointed a committee to probe the allegations after more than 70 staffers had petitioned him to remove the two executives.
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