Kaya News Reporter
The South African Broadcasting Corporation has dismissed News and Current Affairs Group Executive Phathiswa Magopeni.
Citing a breakdown of trust, the SABC confirmed the dismissal on Friday.
The broadcaster took action against Magopeni following her failure to prevent a broadcast, airing and publication of an interdicted Special Assignment episode.
Since her dismissal, the DA will be writing to Parliament’s Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Boyce Maneli. The party are calling for an urgent meeting with the SABC Board and senior management regarding her dismissal.
Phathiswa Magopeni has expressed her intention to contest her dismissal.
Her dismissal follows disciplinary procedures, in line with the SABC’s Disciplinary Code.
“An open and transparent disciplinary hearing chaired by Advocate Nazeer Cassim SC was held in public on 17, 20 and 21 December 2021. Ms Magopeni was found guilty of misconduct for failure to take appropriate measures to ensure that the Court Order was complied with,” says the corporation in a statement.
The SABC says Magopeni was afforded an opportunity to submit mitigating factors and to address aggravating factors identified by the SABC.
“After several requests for extensions, instead of taking up the opportunity to submit her mitigating factors and distance herself from the remarks in, amongst other things, the heads of argument submitted on her behalf, she elected not to submit her mitigating factors. Thus, she waived her right to do so. In the absence Ms Magopeni’s mitigating factors, the SABC concluded that there is a breakdown in the trust relationship between her and the SABC.”
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