DALI MPOFU CEO ANCB

The following is from the SABC's website and refers to the appointment of Dali Mpofu. It is Zikalala Klassick.

New SABC GCEO takes firm stance against corruption
Dali Mpofu, the SABC's newly appointed GCEO

August 01, 2005, 19:15
"Dali Mpofu, the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the SABC, took up his new job today with a firm stance against corruption. Mpofu takes over management of the national broadcaster from Peter Matlare who resigned earlier this year.

Day one in the hot seat and Dali Mpofu is clear about his vision for the SABC. He says he hopes to bring values like team building, integrity and respect to the corporation. He made it clear that corruption and mismanagement will not be tolerated.

"For anybody to steal even one cent from the people of this country with resources stretched as they are, is an unforgivable crime. The issue of zero tolerance is going to be practiced. The first person that is caught will be used as an example," Mpofu said.

The SABC board has expressed confidence in Mpofu's track record - with a career path that meanders through law and business. Eddie Funde, the SABC board chairperson said: “He understands what needs to happen with the external stakeholders and what needs to happen with the internal stakeholders, staff and management. It's a dynamic combination for us."


SABC man resigns but CEO Mpofu keeps mum
Sue Blaine Business Day 27 August, 2007


SABC CEO Dali Mpofu was tight-lipped yesterday about whether his friend and business partner,Mafika Sihlali, resigned or was suspended on Friday.

SOUTH African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) group CEO Dali Mpofu was tight-lipped yesterday about whether his friend and business partner, Mafika Sihlali, the SABC’s legal services chief, resigned or was suspended on Friday.
It is alleged Sihlali defrauded the SABC of up to R2m, although no criminal charges have been laid.

Sihlali apparently resigned before he was suspended on Friday but Mpofu said he had seen no resignation letter, and refused to comment on the SABC decision to suspend Sihlali with immediate effect and on full pay, months after the fraud allegations were made.

“I have not seen the letter. I am on the South Coast (of KwaZulu-Natal),” Mpofu said.

Mpofu was apparently advised to let Sihlali go in April, three months before the Mail & Guardian published allegations that Sihlali and his attorney Barry Aaron had defrauded the SABC of about R1,8m. The newspaper’s story was based on a leaked audit report.

“I can’t comment about my friendship. This is about the SABC, not me,” said Mpofu.

Mpofu, however, also refused to comment on Sihlali’s allegation, in the Sunday press, that his suspension had to do with a “scramble” for SABC board seats.

Sihlali was not available for comment yesterday.

His lawyer, Barry Aaron, said he had not heard from Sihlali “for two weeks” and he had no idea what his intentions were.

“I was never really doing a labour matter. I got thrust into it when I did the urgent application,” Aaron said.

Earlier this month Sihlali lost an urgent application in the Johannesburg High Court to stop the SABC from discussing his suspension.

Mpofu apparently has business links with Sihlali in at least nine companies whose interests range from mining to investment and financial services.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said there was no date yet set for Sihlali’s disciplinary hearing and could not even say whether it would be this year.

Sihlali’s suspension followed a “comprehensive” investigation commissioned by the SABC board’s audit committee after allegations of corruption and abuse of power were levelled against him, Kganyago said.

The SABC viewed the allegations “in a very serious light” but respected Sihlali’s right in law, and under SABC policy, to have his version of events heard before any further action was taken against him, Kganyago sai


What Dali Mpofu didn't say ...
Stefaans Brümmer and Adriaan Basson
07 September 2007 08:08 (M&G)

When South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) boss Dali Mpofu led the public broadcaster to quit the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) last week in protest against the “profit-driven” media’s treatment of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, he neglected to mention a commercial interest that might have clouded his own judgement.

Mpofu, chief executive and editor-in-chief of the SABC, outlined the SABC’s reasons for quitting Sanef in a four-page letter to its chairperson, Jovial Rantao, last Friday.

He has outside interests, not least in Deutsche Bank and in the Elephant Consortium that bought into Telkom.

It was Martin Kingston, Tshabalala-Msimang’s son-in-law, who gave Mpofu the leg-up in the Deutsche deal some months before he started at the SABC two years ago.

Kingston was Deutsche’s chief country officer at the time.

Mpofu chairs empowerment ve-hicle Uthajiri, which gained a 15% stake in Deutsche’s local operations. He was appointed and remains a director of Deutsche....

Mpofu and four partners, including now-disgraced SABC legal head Mafika Sihlali, formed the Uthajiri group in 2004. Its first, and perhaps only, significant deal came in February 2005 when Deutsche announced its empowerment deal, which Kingston drove. In an interview with the Mail & Guardian late last year Kingston said it was among his proudest achievements in BEE.

Kingston is married to Pulane Kingston, Tshabalala-Msimang’s daughter from an earlier marriage. Tshabalala-Msimang is now married to ANC treasurer general Mendi Msimang. After Kingston left Deutsche in June last year he formed his own investment advisory firm, Longcross Capital, with his wife and the ANC treasurer as co-directors.

Mpofu said in response to M&G questions that he had declared his interests to the SABC and that the M&G “either does not understand the concept of conflict of interest or it is dishonestly clutching at straws in a typical attempt to trivialise the important issues raised by the SABC in the Sanef letter …

“To contrive a conflict based on a son-in-law who used to, but no longer works for a company in which I was part of a BEE deal in 2004 as a reason for the decision taken by the entire group executive and supported by the board of the SABC in 2007 is nonsensical and stretches credulity beyond acceptable limits.

“It is not exactly clear what commercial benefit I might possibly gain from this ‘conflict of interest’ by writing the Sanef letter.”

The M&G, meanwhile, has obtained a copy of Pauw’s letter of resignation. It states: “I did not intend to resign today, but after the publication of [Mpofu’s letter to Sanef], I have no other option but to offer my resignation … I take offence against a statement that the SABC is ‘not prepared to associate with the enemies of our freedom and our people’ …

“It is false to describe newspapers like the Sunday Times and Mail & Guardian as ‘enemies of our freedom and our people’ … The letter smacks of political jargon and could just as well have been written by the Presidency. I have lost any confidence in the leadership of the corporation. It is clear that the SABC has deteriorated into nothing less than a state broadcaster.”

Pauw confirmed his resignation, but referred other queries to the SABC.