Saturday Star reports that former SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng faces a R3 million lawsuit from the so-called SABC 8 journalists, but he has vowed to fight them “until the end”.
After the Labour Court costs ruling on Friday, Solidarity, which represented Foeta Krige, the late Suna Venter, Krivani Pillay and Jacques Steenkamp, said they would now make a legal claim of R1 million against Motsoeneng.
The Broadcasting, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers’ Union (Bemawu), which represented Busisiwe Ntuli, Lukhanyo Calata and Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki would sue for R2 million.
On Friday, Judge David Gush of the Labour Court in Johannesburg held Motsoeneng liable for costs of the legal application lodged by the SABC 8 against their dismissals.
Solidarity spokesperson Anton van der Bijl said they would lodge their legal claim against Motsoeneng as he had been responsible for the SABC banning the showing and broadcast of violent scenes on all the public broadcaster’s platforms. “He was a decision-maker,” said Van der Bijl.
Bemawu president, Hannes du Buisson, appeared more cautious, saying their legal claim would be lodged against the SABC, Motsoeneng and chief executive of news and current affairs Simon Tebele.
But Motsoeneng said: “It is the beginning of the battle against me. This was a politically motivated case.”
Initially, in July last year, the SABC 8 journalists were represented by two sets of trade unions, Solidarity and Bemawu, but the court consolidated them into one on 24 February this year.
Solidarity and Bemawu successfully lodged an application to make costs claims against the SABC, Motsoeneng and Tebele on 28 March.
The arguments for costs were heard last Wednesday after the initial hearing on 15 August was postponed following the SABC’s decision to fire their lawyers.
During the costs hearing, Motsoeneng was confident he would be absolved from the claims on the grounds that he did not initiate disciplinary charges against the journalists.
He also said he was not cited in all previous hearings involving the journalists and SABC, but the ruling yesterday also placed him at the centre of the dispute.
Motsoeneng, the SABC and Tebele were ordered to pay the costs since the first application in July last year until Friday on an attorney and client scale, including the costs of “two counsel, jointly and severally the one to pay the others to be absolved”.
Gush did not give reasons for his ruling, which irked Motsoeneng and his supporters.
“I respect the judge and the ruling. I am going to ask my lawyers to oppose the ruling. It is not the end.”
This report by Baldwin Ndaba is on page 5 of Saturday Star of 9 September 2017
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