TechCentral reports that South African Minister of Communications Dina Pule has appointed Lulama Mokhobo as the Group CEO of beleaguered public broadcaster SABC, for a period of five years, effective immediately.
Mokhobo replaces a long line of acting CEOs – Phil Molefe (also head of News), then Hlaudi Motsoeneng (who has stood in for Molefe temporarily), then Robin Nicholson, also a former Chief Financial Officer of the SABC. Nicholson replaced axed former CEO Solly Mokoetle, who in turn replaced axed former CEO Dali Mpofu under whose tenure many say the broadcaster began its spiral into financial and managerial chaos.
The SABC is not new territory for Mokhobo – she was previously Group Executive for Public Broadcasting Services but resigned in June 2010. She was also, according to a Mail & Guardian report dated 22 October 2010, the then Minister of Communications Siphiwe Nyanda’s choice for the post of SABC GCEO.
Nicholson was appointed acting CEO in October 2010 and is involved in legal action against the broadcaster after it ousted him from both the acting CEO and Chief financial Offer posts in July last year.
Meanwhile, BuaNews Online reports that President Jacob Zuma has appointed Thami Ka Plaatjie as a non-executive member of the SABC board and as its deputy chairperson.
Ka Plaatjie replaced Peter Harris who resigned last year.
The controversial Dr Ben Ngubane remains the chairperson of the SABC board despite several calls for his resignation from industry bodies and trade unions last year.
(Additional source: TV with Thinus)
