In the latest episode of the ongoing, deeply unhappy saga of public broadcaster SABC, chief financial officer Robin Nicholson is to be reappointed Acting Group CEO. This appointment is effective until the disciplinary action against suspended GCEO Solly Mokoetle is finalised.
Nicholson’s reappointment was approved by the SABC board at a meeting held on 25 October. When Nicholson was originally appointed to this position at the end of August, Minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda was reportedly unhappy as he had not been consulted. At the time Nicholson, as an executive director of the SABC, was the only one who could be legally appointed as Acting GCEO.
Las year Nicholson himself was suspended as CFO last year on charges of misconduct following from the report of the Auditor General. His disciplinary hearing was chaired by Senior Counsel NA Cassim and the finding delivered on 9 December 2009. Nicholson was found guilty on two of the five charges, not guilty on two and negligent on one. The finding was of having infringed the application of the procurement policy with regard to the manner in which Nicholson sought to retain existing service providers, as well as the authorisation of payments for such services before a valid contract was in place.
The Chairperson of the hearing could find no dishonesty on the part of Nicholson. Adv. Cassim found that he was a man of integrity and dedicated to the services of the SABC. The recommended sanction was that of a formal written warning to endure for a period of nine months.
The board accepted the finding of Adv. Cassim without reservation.
