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General view of SABC headquarters on July 11, 2014 in Johannesburg. (ROOSTER IMAGES)
SABC’s chief operating officer, Ian Plaatjies, has denied claims that he is seeking to jump ship to join rival broadcaster eNCA.
“The report of my transfer to ENCA is false. I have not engaged with eMedia, or with this reporter, or with anyone else about the prospects of my leaving SABC, “he said in a statement Saturday afternoon.
“This misleading information will be reported to the BCCSA and the publication to retract this falsehood and apologize for this false information,” he said.
Plaatjeis said he had committed to a five-year stint at the public broadcaster with four years remaining.
“The transformational work being done by SABC’s board and management has far-reaching consequences beyond SABC’s sustainability, that is, to grow the local industry. This requires a continuity of leadership that spearheads the change of course from SABC, and I’m committed to seeing this come to fruition. “
On Friday, some SABC employees went on strike after the management of the cash-strapped state-owned company did not immediately accept their demands to unconditionally halt the downsizing process that could affect up to 400 employees.
SABC has been suffering for years financially from declining advertising revenue and low license fee rates, which critics say have been compounded by mismanagement and corruption.
The public broadcaster’s board is set to give its official response to the union demands early next week. The union, meanwhile, has said it will continue its strike over the weekend and into the next week.
