Hlaudi Motsoeneng is the leader of African Content Movement who served as the acting Chief operating officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation from 2011 to 2013.
26 Facts About Hlaudi Motsoeneng
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In June 2022 the state capture commission proposed criminal investigations into possible contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act when group CEO Lulama Mokhobo and COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng concluded an SABC agreement with the Gupta owned TNA newspaper.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng was born in either Phuthaditjhaba, Free State in South Africa or Thaba Bosiu in Lesotho, where he was raised by his aunt.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng attended Qhibi Ha Sethunya primary school in Qwa Qwa, Free State.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng went on to Metsi Matsho High School, but did not matriculate.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng's career began in Puthaditjhaba when he met Kenneth Mopeli, then Chief Minister of the South African bantustan of QwaQwa, who became his mentor.
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Mopeli worked in the same office as Hlaudi Motsoeneng used to work.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng was eventually moved to Lesedi FM in Bloemfontein in 1992 where he started to make contacts with African National Congress politicians.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng wanted to be closer to the newsroom and learn more.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng would become close to ANC politicians such as Ace Magashule and Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri who would later go on to become the Premier of Free State and later the Minister of Communication under President Thabo Mbeki.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng first met Jacob Zuma when Zuma made a speech in Free State before the 1994 elections.
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Zuma's speech was not well received, but Hlaudi Motsoeneng supported him and the two became close from then on.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng joined the public broadcaster in 1996, as a junior news reporter and by 2003 had advanced to become a current affairs executive producer for Lesedi FM reporting to regional editor James Barkhuizen, again claiming to have matric qualifications.
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In 2002, Hlaudi Motsoeneng was named in a forensic audit in an investigation into the conduct of a news editor in Bloemfontein.
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Journalists claimed that Hlaudi Motsoeneng was promoted to a senior position as a producer because he helped her gain her own promotion.
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Soon Hlaudi Motsoeneng was clashing with his boss, Barkhuizen, interfering with the latter's decisions and challenging editorial decisions.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng was said to have given staff increases and hired others without his boss's permission.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng was fired from his position in 2007 for allegedly lying about his educational qualifications.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng is best known for his controversial tenure as COO of the SABC and close relationship with President Jacob Zuma.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng was widely known for the unusual nature of his press statements and demands on journalists working for the SABC.
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In 2014, the Democratic Alliance brought an interim application before the Western Cape High Court calling for Hlaudi Motsoeneng's suspension pending a disciplinary hearing.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng appealed the decision, but was overruled by the Supreme Court of Appeals.
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In 2015, Hlaudi Motsoeneng was criticized for granting himself a salary increase from R2.8 million to R3.7million, despite a reported annual loss for the SABC of R395 million.
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On 19 September 2016, the SABC board asked the Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi to appoint Hlaudi Motsoeneng as acting chief operating officer of the SABC until December 2016.
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Hlaudi Motsoeneng declared Motsoeneng's appointment as being unlawful and irrational.
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On 13 December 2018, at the Garden Court Milpark Hotel in Johannesburg, Hlaudi Motsoeneng launched a political party, the African Content Movement.